The Exes
by emeraldislegirl
Summary: AU Richonne. Rick and Michonne were once high school sweethearts, but something happened to end their budding romance. The two meet up years later, they are both older but are they any wiser? Can they survive their past? Note: I don't own these characters.
1. Chapter 1

**The Exes**

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**The Morning After**

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The morning light quietly crept its way into the beachfront penthouse. As the minutes of time ticked on by, the golden ray finally came to rest on the couple who lay in the middle of the ornate dark mahogany king-sized bed entangled in the Egyptian cotton sheets.

They lay there satiated and spent from the night's activities; bodies entwined, he was flat on his back, his fair skin a beautiful contrast to her rich dark mahogany complexion. One hand lay across his brow as though anticipating the morning light which will eventually steal his slumber and bring forth the crushing onset of reality, consequently ending this stolen moment of bliss.

His chiselled features sported a salt and pepper stubble, a roman nose, and pink lips, the bottom one a little fuller but both were now a little plumper than usual; a direct result of their overnight adventures. Despite it all, his lips held a slight smile of contentment.

On his lean toned chest was a dainty perfectly manicured hand with French tips. Her ring finger bore, a simple diamond wedding band, her head lay gently over his heart. Her long black braids were fashioned into a loose chignon, but a couple of which had managed to break free of their prison and snaked their way midway down her toned back. Her profile wore the same smile of contentment on her full lips.

His left hand grabbing hold of her left butt cheek was slightly covered by the white sheet which barely covered her ass and his privates granting them a modicum of decorum should someone happen to barge into the room unannounced.

Her leg overlapped his. Their bodies connected as though they fed off the other, rising and falling in sync.

The room filled with the couple's soft snores was otherwise serene.

Inside their bubble, life was perfect as it should be. Unfortunately, however, as the ray of light splayed squarely from her mid back to the hand across his forehead, time marched on, and as such, reality came knocking.

The alarm on his cell phone buzzed and hers rang.

"Fuck!" He said, his fingers fumbled as he reached across the hard surface of the nightstand trying to turn off the infernal alarm before she responds to her call. His mouth felt like a wad of cotton had taken up residence inside so he took a sip from the glass of water on the nearby nightstand.

"Oh shit! You'll have to be quiet," she said, pulling away from him and taking the sheet with her to cover herself as she grabbed her phone and pressed the button.

"Good morning." Her voice was soft and groggy from sleep.

"Mornin', beautiful," a smooth deep voice replied, "you didn't call last night, is everything okay?"

"No I didn't, but I sent you a text. Yes, everything's fine," she winced at how easily she lied to the man she has been married to for the past three years.

Her lover snuggled closer to her and gently kissed her shoulder. His kisses were soft and tender a direct opposite to the rigidness of his member which stood between them.

"I presume your luggage eventually arrived."

"It did but by then I had done a lil' retail therapy just in case."

He chuckled. "So, will we survive this spree?"

"We might have to bag our lunches for a while," she countered.

He chuckled once more, "I really missed you last night."

Her lover next to her had become increasingly frustrated at the intrusion, it was evident by the way his hand started to roam about exploring her body.

"I'm sure you did," she chuckled.

"But, I'm missing you even more right now…"

She blushed and turned slightly away from her lover and bit her bottom lip.

"Sweetheart… I'll make it up to you later, I promise. I gotta go."

Her lover, however, knew her well enough to know when she was blushing and at that moment, he knew the unheard side of their conversation had taken a turn, one he wasn't comfortable with. He was never a third wheel and he wasn't about to start that shit now. His hand slid beneath the sheets and rested on her thigh.

The young woman's breath hitched as their eyes connected. She bit her lip and shook her head no, but her lover's eyes had gone from the sky blue to a darker shade of blue signalling his intent, one she knew only too well.

It was madness, surely, he wasn't crazy enough to do something so insane.

The shock registered on her face as she mentally tried to keep up the charade. Her husband's voice was in her ear, whispering all the dirty little things he'd like to be doing to her while her lover's long digits slid lower and discovered her dirty little secret.

Her lover's eyes scold her but only momentarily. As far as he was concerned two could play at the game, so he quickly disappeared beneath the sheets. Parting her legs, he pulled her reluctant body towards him, kissing and nibbling his way up the inside of her silky smooth thighs.

It was insane, his stubble caused friction against the inside of her thighs. She inhaled deeply. But despite the insanity of it, her pussy pulsates at his tender ministrations because he knew her well enough to know what she needed.

"Oh, god," she said, biting her bottom lip for fear of betraying herself and settled for moaning her response to him instead. This couldn't be happening. When did he get so cocky? she wondered.

"Now, that sounds more like it, baby… you always did need a lil' coaxing, didn't you? Talk to me, Princess. Do you like it when daddy buries his head between those sexy long legs of yours and eat that sweet pussy?"

Her lover's tongue lapped at her slick wet folds, his lips gently tugged at them alternating his attention between her pearl and her slick wet canal then... he introduced a finger…

"Mmmh," she moaned… then another "Mmmmh" and another digit filled her up. "Mmmmmh."

"Yes, oh god, I love it when you do that, da..." her voice died out into a long moan as his fingers and mouth claimed her aching wet pussy. Her mind was reeling from the sensation of his lips and tongue on her bundle of nerves. Her free hand tried fisting the sheets in a futile attempt to hold on to something. Her body writhing beneath his skilful mouth had long accepted its faith. Her long fingers now played in his silky curls and her legs opened wide to him as their eyes connected, his held a glint of boyish mischief thoroughly enjoying having his way with her while her husband listening on the other end of the line thought he had game. Hers were glazed over lost in the moment from their mutual enjoyment.

"Yes, I like that… more."

"You'll surely get more and then some, sweetness. My dick is throbbing, baby. You will pay for this later. Daddy might just have to put you over his knees and spank that perfectly round ass of yours next weekend... You're being so dirty and naughty finger fucking yourself right now it's fucking hot. My dick's jealous. I'm gonna fuck you so hard, I swear to God I won't stop until you're fuckin' shaking."

She moaned louder and her moans spurred him on. Her fingers no longer played in his silky curls, now her hand held the back of her lover's head in place as she lifts her body up slightly to fuck his face. He moaned back forgetting himself and she felt the vibration deep inside of her.

Her lover knows she's close because her legs were now clamped on either side of his head like a vice. Her body was taut and ready to explode but he would not allow her to come not while the phone was attached to her, so he came up for air. This pussy was all his.

Her eyes fell open at the break in their connection, "No…" she pleads, "don't stop… I'm soooo close…"

The husband on the other end of the line could not believe how receptive and vocal his wife was that morning, he lay in their king-sized bed stroking himself spurred on by images of his hot wife's tight pussy sliding up and down his veiny cock with her perfect pert breasts bouncing up and down and the look of sheer pleasure contorting her face as her orgasm builds, the look she gets when her pussy pulsates and shatters all over his manhood, and the quivering sensation of her body as the waves of aftershock spread throughout her core.

Her dark mahogany skin against the rich tawny colour of his. He loved how they blend so well together.

"Yeah, baby that's it bounce on daddy's hard cock. You love that don't you? I love holding that ass of yours when I fuck that tight pussy of mine. It's all mine, baby..."

Her moans were getting louder and in his mind, he could see her… his hands were wrapped around her tiny waist and he could feel the vice of her tight pussy as it tightened around his manhood causing his balls to do the same and him slamming up into her claiming her cream as she screams his name. He loved that shit a lot, it made him come harder.

"Oh, god, yes, fuck me hard, baby."

"Oh, fuck, Princess, I'm gonna cum!" His heart raced as his hand stroked his veiny cock vigorously until such time his body convulsed and hot cum spurts onto his taut stomach. He groans. "Fuck me! I love you, Princess."The husband said between pants thoroughly spent from their morning escapade, it wasn't the same without her warm body but the results that morning was definitely one he would remember for quite some time.

**...**

Her lover took the phone ends the call and tossed the phone aside. His lips descended onto hers and kissed her roughly. Her lips parted allowing his tongue. She could taste herself on him. It turned her on more, her pussy was wet and throbbing in need of friction, in desperate need of him, so she moaned louder turning him on.

Suddenly, she pushed him away.

His lust-filled gaze looked at her puzzled.

"Fuck me!" She said in a gravelly voice between laboured breaths, her chest rising and falling, her heart racing uncontrollably with pure unadulterated lust in her eyes. She looked at his lips and bit hers… she was in heat and only he could quell her fire.

Her wish, a command his aching member welcomed. He flipped his woman over and slid his throbbing cock into her well-oiled canal in one fluid motion. They moaned in unison as he bottomed out and proceeded to fuck her hard. Her whimpering filled his ears as he drove deeper. "You like it rough, don't you, babe?"

At his mercy, her hands fisted the sheets as he pistoned into her and setting her body ablaze as only he could.

"Faster… yeah… just like that."

His left hand grabbed her hair, his right held her side and each thrust drove her closer to the precipice and she felt herself unravel, "FucK!" she uttered, as her body exploded she saw stars.

He uttered a guttural moan, his body jerked a few times more before it slumped on top of hers momentarily unable to move.

**...**

There was no escaping what happened. The room reeked of his cologne and her perfume together culminating with their heady sex scent.

"Will I see you later?" He asked hopeful but he already knew her answer.

"Of course, I'm the keynote speaker today and tomorrow."

"Michonne, you know damn well that's not what I meant."

"Rick, what we did last night was a mistake. We had a few drinks too many, but today... it's a brand new day… what we did this morning though... it was wrong on so many levels.

"I don't regret anythang we did."

"Last night, we were trying to hold on to the past but we're not those two people anymore."

"I know that... we were just kids. I won't lie to you... it did hurt me, but I've matured and in doing so, I was able to see thangs from your point of view and you were right. But I thought we moved past all that last night."

"You really want me to say it, don't you?" She asked anguished.

"To say, what?" He asked confused.

"I broke us. Whenever you look at me, you will always remember that and for that, I'm sorry."

"Last night, I forgave you, Michonne. It's the reason why we ended up here…" he indicated with his hands, "in your room."

"Rick, I'm married. Last night I cheated on my husband and this morning I allowed myself to be fucked by another man while my husband listened because he thought we were having amazing phone sex. Like how fucked up is that anyway?"

"Last night, you accused me of playing it safe, Michonne… I think I've debunked that theory."

"Last night should never have happened. I may be called many things, Rick, but until last night, I was never a cheat." Michonne added walking out of the bathroom affixing her diamond studs to her earlobes. "We wanted to recapture a moment in time and for a while, time stood still. Let's leave it at that."

"And if I can't?"

"We have responsibilities and people will undoubtedly be hurt by what we've done."

"I know. But, I can't just walk away from us..." he added. His complexion was now slightly flushed from the turn of events, he pulled on his pants, tucked his shirt tails into his pants, zipped his fly and buckled his belt. He slipped on his shoes over his socked feet and tied his laces, but didn't bother with putting on his tie, instead, he put on his jacket and slipped the tie into his pocket.

"Rick, there's no us. I'm a married woman." Michonne added raising her left hand up to his face to show him her wedding band. He hadn't changed much she thought, he was still a stubborn ass when he set his mind to something.

"And that's supposed to mean somethang? I made you cum all night, and this morning too. Until he called, you didn't remember 'DADDY' existed," he reminded her, "a happily married woman doesn't fall that quickly into bed with her high school boyfriend."

Michonne flinched because his remark stung. He was right, she hadn't acted very much like a happily married woman nor a married woman for that matter. He knew her far too well and it was the reason why she settled in Alexandria after college than return to Atlanta where their paths would have intersected much sooner.

"I didn't run off to Canada, Michonne. We could have gotten through it."

Unfortunately, it seems her lover still wore blinders where they were concerned, he was still living in a bubble, one which had long burst hours before.

**_Happy 4th of July, folks!_**

**_Please show your support by leaving a review below._**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Exes**

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**After all this time… Part I**

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**A/N **_To the guest reviewers who enjoyed this story, thank you for the support. To the guest reviewer who was totally offended by the fact that Michonne's married in this story, but left a review to say that you would no longer be reading this story anymore, you do you! No offence, but no one forced you to read it in the first place. I write to entertain and most of the readers seem to be enjoying this story. There were enough flags that she was in bed with someone other than her husband. I will not be leaving any spoilers, you read at your own discretion. The characters are flawed. Yes, even Michonne, I love her but she's not perfect... no one is._

_Just to let y'all know, when I started this story it was flowing so well I experimented with writing the complete fic prior to posting it. That said, this fic's almost completed. It's not going to be a long story perhaps four chapters._

Thanks to arlenesheenringleader1010 for creating the poster for this story.

**…..**

_**A month before the conference in Savannah…**_

Assistant Deputy Public Defender, Rick Grimes sat in his office mindlessly going through the mail his assistant, Nora left for him to read and action accordingly.

Paperwork was a chore. The alternative, however, was spending another mind-numbing supper with Jessie and her kids and in that light, he elected to do the dull paperwork, so he decided to call her up and ask for a raincheck.

The phone barely rang when it was answered, "Hey!" she answered breathlessly.

"Jessie, don't hold supper for me. I've got thangs to catch up on here at the office." He said in his pronounced drawl.

"Rick, are you sure about that? I made lasagna and Cesar salad... your favourites. I could bring a plate by the…"

"Thanks, Jess, but I already ordered somethang."

"Oh, okay," she replied sounding crushed. "I'll see you later then?" She asked rather hopeful.

"Don't wait up, Jess. I'm going to stay at my place tonight."

"Ugh, I thought you were going to put it on the market. The fact you keep staying there, how do you expect to ever bond with the boys?"

"Jessie, we talked about this and you agreed, this thang… that we would keep it casual for now… that we would see other people..."

"We did, but she's been gone over three years and you finally took off your ring six months ago today…plus, it's our two month anniversary, I just thought… it's not like we're strangers, Rick"

"Jessie, we dated what... half a dozen in times in two months. I'm not about to be moving in with you and your boys."

"I know, but eventually, you know… with Pete in prison, they need a positive role model in their lives."

"Look, Jessie, I truly appreciate all the help you gave me with Lori, but I can't promise you anythang more than what we have right now. Matter of fact, with Pete's case going to trial in another month, the less we see of each other is actually better."

"But, you're not his lawyer, he's paying for his own defence… you said it wouldn't be a problem."

"I did, but I just need some time right now. Plus, my workload is crazy I need some time to focus." He answered massaging his left temple. He couldn't understand why she was being so clingy all of a sudden it's not like he had been her first since her divorce. She has had other men. But, in a moment of weakness, they hooked up on the second anniversary of Lori's passing and ever since then she acted as though they were mutually exclusive.

He dated other women but hadn't slept with any of them. Truthfully, he didn't even know what he was looking for in a woman anymore. He had been off the market for so long that he was still trying to find his way. He had been married for five years and widowed for three. Jessie was a convenience. She had been hired as Lori's personal care worker when she got ill because he couldn't bear to put her in a hospice.

Lori felt sorry for Jessie because she had been Jessie's divorce attorney. She helped free her from a toxic relationship with an abusive alcoholic ex-husband. One who was currently awaiting trial for vehicular manslaughter.

Jessie was a single mom with two boys who lived across the street from them. It was Lori's idea to hire her because she thought they could use the extra money, so he hired her.

In fact, as she was Lori's choice it made him comfortable knowing Lori would be well cared for because Jessie was grateful to her for helping her get out of a bad marriage.

In retrospect, looking back now, it was as if Lori had been setting the stage for her exit. They didn't have kids because she was diagnosed six months after their wedding and there was Jessie, a nice soccer mom type with two young boys, a ready-made family for him to step into. There was only one problem, try as he might, they had nothing in common.

"Rick, I don't understand any of this… I've been patient and I've been there for you ever since Lori passed, it feels like I'm always waiting for you, but I won't be your doormat."

"Don't hang all of your hopes on me, Jessie. I told you that I'd help you out of a bad situation and I did. It's what Lori would have wanted..." He said referring to the fact that when her car died shortly after Lori passed, she called him up in a panic not having a way to her appointment with her client. The solution, he gave her Lori's vehicle which was practically new. He didn't need it, plus, it would help her get to and from her appointments and shuffle her boys around.

Over the past few years, however, Jessie came around and tidied up the place from time to time, as a means of showing her appreciation. It made her feel better so he allowed it.

On the other end of the line, Rick heard sniffles and imagined the waterworks she had going on, it was her thang when she wanted him to bend. Rick, shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose wondering what the hell he was thinking to have crossed that line with Jessie. He knew it was his guilt… he couldn't save Lori, but just maybe he was able to save this one. But somehow, he didn't feel the connection between the two of them the way Jessie did.

"Jessie, you were never a doormat. I tried looking out for you because it's what Lori wanted. Goodnight, Jessie," he said and hung up the phone pissed at her insinuation.

He then ordered a pizza and soda and left the money with the young Korean Public Defender, Rhee who always answered the door no matter who ordered out. It earned him the nickname the _Money Man_. He then returned to his office.

Rhee reminded him of a younger version of himself. At that time, he was a prosecutor, but after witnessing one too many innocent kids getting caught up in the system, he decided to fight on the other side for justice.

Regarding Rhee, Rick loved his energy and he was a hard worker. He worked tirelessly for his clients just as he had done, only now, he handled the more complex cases and when he wasn't doing that he was a part-time paper pusher when he wasn't busy playing politics.

His attention was currently focused on pushing paper, he signed those requiring his John Hancock, thrashed the useless junk which came in as a result of his attendance at previous conferences, which meant his name was permanently on their mailing list. He was about to throw one such pamphlet into the recycling bin when he recognized the face of the keynote speaker, only her name had changed a few times. She was no longer Michonne Bouvier from their childhood, his former high school girlfriend, nor was she, Michonne Bouvier-Williams the wife of the famous NFL Running Back, Tyrese Williams. In fact, her face pretty much disappeared from the headlines after their bitter divorce. She was now Michonne Bovier-Madison according to the pamphlet in his hand which announced that she would be the keynote speaker at an upcoming conference in his very own backyard.

Her stunning beauty bewitched him once again, but it wasn't as if they had closure considering Michonne disappeared the day after they last spoke.

Her parents and her just left with not so much as a proper goodbye. They fled to Canada, parts unknown and from what he could discern online, Canada was a damn big country too.

She didn't reply to his emails, texts or his calls and naturally, her phone number eventually changed.

It didn't surprise him much, her father, Mr. Bouvier never liked him, to begin with, because of the colour of his skin. He didn't mind them being neighbours and such, but a neighbour who was kissing his daughter, well, that was frowned upon. He was given the moniker, the blue-eyed devil as Michonne tells it, one who would eventually derail her life. As predicted, he got Mr. Bouvier's daughter pregnant at seventeen.

Mrs. Bouvier, on the other hand, she liked him well enough whenever her husband wasn't around, but that all cooled when the news broke that, Michonne, their only child was knocked up at seventeen.

Things between Michonne and him had not ended right, so he often wondered whether it affected her the same way it did him. He was crushed. After finishing high school, he went off to college, something they were supposed to do together. Instead, that's where he met Lori and the rest was history.

Rick thought about the many times in the past three years where he considered looking for her and simply mailing the letter he had written three years ago, but he felt what he needed to say was best done in person. The pamphlet in his hand seemed somewhat prophetic like the universe was saying it was time because it had aligned itself for what needed to be done.

That night, before leaving the office, he left Nora instructions to prepare the necessary paperwork for his boss, Hershel's signature. He also made a mental note to find out who the man was behind the name Madison.

**...**

Later that night, sitting up in bed with his laptop on his lap, Rick pushed his thick black-framed glasses to his forehead and rubbed his tired eyes. His mind was no longer focused on the pleading he was drafting, so he closed the document and Googled Michonne Bouvier-Madison to see what her bio didn't say. Sure enough, there it was; apart from the link to her company's website, there were other links to her past life, the NFL wife, one article in particular mentioned how she had found love once again.

It seemed, she hadn't really managed to escape the limelight after all. It just wasn't as glaring on the front pages anymore. Michonne and Marcus Madison were wed three years ago, on the very day Lori died.

_What were the chances of that?_ he thought.

He continued reading the article, they were both attorneys at law. He was an in-house General Counsel for a fortune 500 company based in DC. What surprised him though was his age, she never struck him as having a daddy complex before, but if he was a guessing man it obviously came about after all the shit that went down in her first marriage… she obviously wanted someone more mature the second time around.

Marcus Madison was at least fifteen years older than her. He was an attractive man per se, about six feet in height with an athletic build. His tawny complexion next to her dark mahogany skin irritated him. But it no doubt made her father proud. He didn't know why this photo bothered him so much. He hadn't envied the millions he had seen of her with her former husband, but at the time, he was a married man. Plus, it's not like he was in league to compete with an NFL Running Back either. Michonne, however, was definitely out of this chump's league. _What could Madison offer her that he couldn't?_ was the question he asked himself.

He was upset at himself for having looked her up because now there was the _what if's scenario_ playing on a loop inside his head before bed.

He wasn't about to fall asleep so he pulled on his sweats and went for a jog.

Thirty minutes later, he found himself knocking at the front door across the street from his house.

_**Please show your support by leaving a review in the box below. Much appreciated, thanks.**_


	3. Chapter 3

**The Exes**

* * *

**After all this time… Part II**

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_**A/N **To the guest reviewers, thank you for your ongoing support. Thanks to Richonne4life for being a sounding board. I trust you'll enjoy this latest installment. It's late and I'm tired so I apologize for the editing, but I'm being harassed and I kinda promised a certain person an update, it's late by an hour but I hope this will give me a break._

**_Ten __months before the conference…_**

"Michonne Bouvier-Madison," she said into the phone.

"Heavens forbid that you'd ever bother to look at your call display. For God sake, woman, are you ever off the clock?"

"That's why I carry two cell phones and you know the numbers for both of them but yet you consistently call the wrong one, don't you?"

"I call the one that's most likely to be answered promptly. Anyways, you blew me off regarding Atlanta, so you owe me. I need to book an awesome badass female defence attorney as a keynote speaker for the conference in Savannah," Aaron added all in one breath.

"Aaron, you know how I feel about that... plus, I'm not even sure I'm available."

"You'll note, I never said when either, so you couldn't find _'a thing'_ to do. I already checked in with Cyndie and you're already booked for it. This was just your heads up. Plus, that's the weekend I'll make an honest man of Paul and you're my Best Female, so bitch you're gonna be there or we're done."

"You could have led with that. But why do y'all have to go all the way to Georgia to get hitched?"

"His folks live there and they're not in the best of health, so we decided to take the wedding to them. It's nothing big, we're renting a place on Tybee Island."

"Congratulations! It sounds lovely, Aaron. So, where's the conference being held?"

"First things first, it might be a two-day engagement, depending on the venue and enrollment. They're getting back to me on that by the end of the week. The important thing it's a working vacation."

"So are you going to tell me when so that I can coordinate with Marcus?"

"It's work, why are you bringing him?" he asked snarkily.

"Aaron, he's my husband… you know… my plus one."

"I know sweetie, but had you listened to me, he wouldn't be. He's a stuffy corporate bore… no fun at all. It's my wedding and I wanna have fun. You're different when he's around."

"Hon, it'll be fun. I'm your Best Female, remember? Plus, I do take my titles seriously."

"You'd better. I'd hate to lose my twin over this. But, you should recommend he get an enema before the event, he might enjoy himself if he gets a good release."

"Aaron, stop it!" Michonne snorted and her body shook, "Omg, I can't even…" the imagery was too much for Michonne who found herself doing Kegels and snorting some more trying desperately to stifle a good belly laugh because her husband, who only moments before placed a glass of Chardonnay on the table in front of her and kissed her cheek was now sitting across from her on the terrace of their penthouse overlooking the Potomac River.

Aaron immediately sensed the change in her reaction.

"He's there, isn't he? I told you… a damn vampire… he sucks the fun right out of you."

"As I was saying, I'll be more than honoured to be your Best Female. So, when is the big event?"

"We're getting married the first weekend in June, but if the airlines were to lose your carry-on, don't worry, I can always have you declared a widow seven years after the fact."

"Omg, Aaron, you're so rude, you'll need to take your nice meds that weekend. Talk soon. Tata for now."

**…**

Marcus got up and walked over to where his beautiful wife sat, lowered his head and pecked her softly on the lips.

"Good evening, beautiful!" Marcus added, "eventful day?" He asked in a smooth deep voice with a raised brow showcasing his gorgeous hazel eyes.

"Hi, sweetheart. Not really… just grading some papers." She answered adjusting her thick black-framed glasses. "How was your day?"

"Same ole, same ole, but if everything goes according to plan, we should have the new facility in Mumbai up and running in about ten months or so."

"That sounds great, sweetheart."

"Yeah, so I was thinking, maybe we can be there for it all... you know, we could make it a working vacation kind of thing. We could take a month and celebrate your birthday on the Serengeti. What do you think of that?"

"It sounds amazing, but the first week of June will be a problem for me. That was Aaron on the phone, he has me booked for a two day speaking engagement in Savannah and that weekend, we're going to a wedding. I'm his Best Female... they're getting married.

"Shit!"

"It could still work though, it just means we'll have to leave from Savannah, but instead of being on a safari for my birthday, we'll be on a plane. It still works."

"Okay then, I'll have Beth make the changes to our reservations," he said as he sent his assistant an email to modify their travel plans.

"Copy Cyndie on that, those two should really communicate more..."

**….**

A month before the conference, Michonne sat in her corner office fine-tuning her presentation. By now, she could have given the presentation in her sleep, but as the date neared, she was having second thoughts about going back to the Peach State. _Was it guilt?_ She wondered.

It had been years since he crossed her mind, but that wasn't to say she had ever forgotten him. _How could she? _He was her first love. They had a forever plan but it all went to shit. They had been sleeping together for about a year and they were both responsible, she was on the pill and he used condoms, but shit still happened after an unfortunate accident when a condom broke. She was confident, they still had a backup plan, the pill. Well, they had a backup plan until there was no plan at all.

She was two weeks late. She was never late. The pills regulated her cycle. She told herself it was stress and she needs to relax and eventually, Aunt Flo would return, but by week three, she realized her life was never going to be the same. There was never going to be a forever plan with Rick.

Michonne recalls sitting on the edge of the tub in her bathroom staring at the double lines of the pregnancy test in her hand, while silent tears stained her face. She knew in her heart of hearts it was over. She was only seventeen and she had the biggest decision of her life to make at seventeen years old. It was going to end them. Her heart broke into a million pieces and those pieces would break into another million twice more once she uttered her truth, first to him and then to her parents.

**...**

Her life was good now, professionally, she built a life for herself. She was a successful Criminal Defense Attorney who also lectured part-time at the George Washington University Law School. She had successfully branched out on her own early and built up a medium-sized law practice which had a steadily growing clientele. On a personal level, she lived in Old Town Alexandria and dined with the Obama's and other movers and shakers in DC. She also had a diverse bunch of friends from both aspects of her life, but just the thought of going back to Georgia left her feeling unsettled. _But why? _She was finally in a mature stable relationship with a peer and she could hold her own with the best of them, case in point, this past week alone, she had lunched with Michelle, so these nerves... were just that, she said coaching herself. It wasn't as if she was going to Atlanta, but each time she thought of Atlanta she felt uncomfortable.

Just then, her phone rang pulling her out of her funk. "Michonne Bouvier-Madison."

"Ma'am, Mr. Madison's wondering what's keeping you. I thought you left… you said you were on your way out."

"Shit!" She said getting up placing her laptop into her briefcase and closing it.

She took the briefcase, grabbed her purse, and prepared to leave. "No, this one's on me… I lost track of time. Cyndie, please let him know that I'm on my way," she said as she locked her office door behind her.

**...**

Nothing went right that afternoon, a direct flight from Dulles to Savannah turned into a disaster. Michonne had just finished reporting her luggage as MIA and left a voicemail for her husband.

Ordinarily, she wouldn't care, it was just stuff and the bags would eventually turn up, but her nerves were in knots. She had her garment bag with her and in it was her most important item of clothing, a designer Tuxedo dress that she would wear that weekend. Her next course of action was to check in at her hotel, take a nap and then do some shopping. _It might help calm her nerves_, she thought.

**Michonne:** Hon, landed, but my luggage is MIA. Don't worry… I've got the most important piece with me. Wanna join me for a little retail therapy?

**Aaron:** Just wrapping up a few things here. I can swing by your hotel in maybe two hours or so.

**Michonne:** Perfect!

**...**

"Hey, beautiful, sorry I missed your call," said her husband in his signature timbre but something was amiss.

"Hey! Everything, okay? You don't sound like yourself."

"Just minor hiccups about the new facility, but nothing for you to worry about."

"Are you sure?... It won't impact our weekend, will it?"

"It shouldn't, but I'll keep you posted. What are your plans now?"

"First, I'm going to take a power nap since I will no doubt have to hit the stores if I don't want to be giving my presentation in my current outfit. After, I'm having dinner with Aaron."

"You could wrap yourself in a burlap sack and make it fashionable, you know that, right? I know you'll find something so I'm not worried." He added in a reassuring voice.

Michonne chuckled, "Mr. Madison, you're such a smooth talker… you know just the right things to say to put a smile on my face."

"If I was there with you, I'd use my mouth in another facet to put a smile on that beautiful face of yours." He teased switching to his bedroom voice which sounds similar to that of the late Teddy Pendergrass.

"Behave yourself. I'm in an Uber."

"Point taken, although… it would most certainly be entertaining if I could get off... whilst you're a captive audience. I imagine that black lace thong of yours is moist right about now and you're aching to touch yourself, however, being the lady that you are, you won't. Just thinking about it makes me hard… very hard." Marcus chuckled.

"Marcus!" she said, it was meant as an admonishment but it came out rather breathless… and she swallowed hard.

Marcus chuckled, "Do you know you're really sexy when you're angry?"

"You never struck me as the sharing kind that's all."

"And I'm not, the last guy who undressed you with his eyes found himself in Mumbai at the beginning of the year."

"That was rash, don't you think?"

"Negan's an asshole he needs to be taught a lesson."

"True, but to banish him?"

"R.E.S.P.E.C.T. when he learns that... he can come back, then again, he can always quit. Now as I was saying, that four-poster bed of ours will be awful lonely tonight," he stated.

She giggled, "You're about as subtle as a brick through a glass window. Maybe you can tuck me in later, I need to get rid of some stress."

"I look forward to it, my sweetness. Call me after dinner and say hello to Aaron."

**…..**

Aaron was running late. Michonne had been waiting an hour now. If it were anyone else, she would have been perturbed. But Aaron got free passes because of their close relationship. They were like fraternal twins separated at birth except he was a tall lean Caucasian male with curly brown hair, blue eyes, and a warm welcoming smile. She was the exact opposite. She was an African American, petite in stature, of medium height with dark brown eyes and a megawatt smile.

They became friends after Aaron collided with her their first day on campus, he felt so bad he spent the next month trying to make it up to her. It didn't matter where she was he seemed to materialized. It turned out they were both pre-law and had the same classes, so they adopted each other and have been inseparable ever since.

**….**

Rick went to the airport directly after work arriving on Tybee Island around six. His hotel was a little further away from the location of the conference. He wanted to take advantage of the beach, something he didn't find much time for back in Atlanta. He was tired and wasn't sure he'd attend the mixer, which was already in progress at the hotel where the conference was actually taking place. Plus, he wasn't in the mood to mingle, so he pulled his rented vehicle into a parking space near the Crab Shack. He finally decided on grabbing some take-out, going back to his hotel room to grab a shower, eat and think about what he would actually say when he saw Michonne the next day.

He exited the vehicle without bothering to take his jacket, closed and locked the car door and walked towards the restaurant.

**….**

He walked slowly into the restaurant still running scenarios in his head when his peripheral vision picked up a movement. He turned his head and couldn't believe his very own eyes, but there she was. After all this time, she was even more beautiful than ever and even more beautiful than the photo on her bio sheet.

He stood there immobilized and mute. His brain tried to will his body to move or his mouth to say something for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually, his body complied and he swallowed hard as the invisible chains fell away from his legs and his mouth seemed to function once more. He approached her table cautiously not wanting to frighten her.

**...**

Michonne sat at the table looking at her watch and began texting with her other hand. Suddenly, her body shivered. It was unusual, it was Savannah in June, the weather was usually balmy, the air conditioner seemed to be functioning because the customers at the closest table to hers didn't seem affected by any sudden fluctuation in temperature, so there was no reason for her body to react the way it did. Then for an instant, the shivering was replaced by the unsettled feeling she had been experiencing for a month now.

Michonne was afraid to look up… afraid of what or more particularly who she might see there, it was for this reason why the Peach State was not at the top of her list of places to visit.

Her skin was now pebbled, her mouth was parched, and she found it difficult to breathe. _Would this day ever end?_

**...**

"Mi-cho-nne?"He called dragging out her name in his lazy southern drawl.

She took a sip from her glass of water and swallowed hard. Delaying the inevitable.

_**Please show your support by leaving a review in the box below. Much appreciated, thanks.**_


	4. Chapter 4

**The Exes**

* * *

**Coming Full Circle, Part I**

* * *

**A/N **to the guest reviewers, thank you for your continued support. There was nothing else to do while attending physio last evening, so I took out my tablet and finished this chapter. I hope y'all like it.

Her name fell from his lips as a question, perhaps disbelief… though she was fairly certain he was in Savannah not for the conference itself, but for the fly which got caught in the spider's web.

After all this time, It wasn't how she ever anticipated they would finally meet again for the first time. They were in a public place... a restaurant with a few buffers. She had mentally prepared herself for a couple hundred buffers between them before she had to actually face him.

Her mouth was dry. Her mind was blank because she had no idea what to say_. What do you say to someone whom you literally ghosted for sixteen years? Where was a good place to begin?_

So, she took a sip of water from the glass which sat before her untouched for an hour in an attempt to find the right words to say to him.

_Where the hell was Aaron anyway? This was all his damn fault._ She had purposely booked a hotel away from the conference venue to avoid awkward encounters such as this. But, here they were.

"Rick." She said slowly raising her head and resting her eyes on him. He had left his suit jacket in his car, it was obvious his intent was to dash in and out.

Her ex-boyfriend had aged like a fine scotch. His face had lost the baby plumpness of youth. It was now more masculine and chiselled like the rest of his body. There was nothing boyish that remained about him. He was all man almost six feet tall now, lean and muscular. His hairline was kissed with grey, his unruly brown curls were longer now and slicked back. He sported salt and pepper facial stubble, which accentuated his pink lips. The bottom one was her favourite because it was a little fuller than the top one. It was sexy and with his current facial hair, he looked GQ ready. His whole semi dishevelled look made her lower lips contract, this was not at all the reaction she had expected from herself.

His eyes, however, remained obscured from her scrutiny behind his Ray-Bans. He had her at a disadvantage in that regard because she was naked to him.

Hearing her name in that lazy southern drawl had brought all those buried feelings… happiness, love, pain, hurt, loneliness, emptiness, and regret all home. She had come full circle, it was time to settle up.

**…..**

Rick could not believe his eyes because Michonne sat a few feet away from where he stood. She was no longer the girl he once knew. In mere moments, he would meet the woman she had become. Her braids were longer now and she had them in a loose bun atop her head displaying her elegant neck, a favourite part of her body he enjoyed licking, biting, and nuzzling. Her face was still kissed by the essence of youth, but her dark brown eyes were wiser. They no longer possessed the innocence of youth. They were cataloging his appearance as he was hers. Her beautiful soft heart-shaped lips were berry stained and shiny begging to be kissed, bit and sucked, but he had to think about anything but that right now, they were in a public place... a family restaurant, so he distracted himself by finding the nearest waitress and signalled for her to come. He was drawn into her aura at a much happier place and time which predated their current reality.

She wore a yellow printed sundress which displayed her toned upper body seated at the table but he had no doubt the rest of her body was in similar condition.

"Hey." He said approaching the table slowly allowing her time to decide on what to do.

"Hey yourself," she answered extending her hand to the seat across the table from her inviting him to join her.

"Are you sure?" He asked trying to be gracious knowing full well that there was no other place on earth he'd rather be. He took the proffered seat and pushed his Ray-Bans on top of his head.

"You're more beautiful than I remember."

"Thank you, and you're more handsome than I remember." She added drowning in the depths of his cerulean blues.

"Are you ready to order?" the waitress asked about a minute after he sat down.

"Yes," was their collective response, so they did.

**...**

There was an unspoken truce between them, they both knew this was not the place to air their dirty laundry, so they dined together like two old friends catching up the other on their past.

Just as they were finishing their meal, Michonne's phone rang, so she excused herself and stepped outside to take the call.

…

"This had better be good, you stood me up, Aaron."

"I'm sorry, sweetie. We're at the hospital. It's Paul's dad…"

"Oh, hon… I'm so sorry. I'll meet you there… text me the address."

But before Aaron could respond, "Sweetie…" there was a click and Michonne was gone.

…

By the time they, Rick and Michonne arrived at the hospital, the crisis had passed, Robert Rovia was sleeping comfortably under the watchful eyes of his son and wife.

Aaron waited downstairs for Michonne allowing Paul and his mother the privacy to visit with his father and her husband respectively. It was understood that he'd be taking Michonne back to her hotel to rest up for her presentation the next day. But, what he wasn't expecting to see was the couple crossing the parking lot, with the man's arm at Michonne's waist. They looked so natural together, one could easily presume they were husband and wife because of the diamond wedding band she wore. They even had matching strides.

It took Aaron a minute to rub his fatigued face and compute what he was witnessing. _How the fuck did it happen? Yeah, they both figured if Rick had seen the brochure, he would turn up. Hell, he would too if he was straight and Michonne was his designated ex, he'd shoot his shot. But how did they find one another again, she was __on __Tybee island, not downtown Savannah_. _Fuck, they didn't plan for this, suddenly, Aaron felt the need for a drink._

**...**

After an hour of drinking, Aaron left Rick and Michonne together in the hotel bar. But, approximately fifteen minutes later, he texts Michonne to meet him outside, which she did.

**...**

"Everything okay?" Rick asked upon her return the second time that night in that lazy southern drawl of his.

"Yes. Do you mind walking with me to the pier? We really should talk."

"Sure." He answered knowing the time had come neither could put it off much longer.

**…**

The night was a little cooler since the sunset hours earlier. The moon was full and the only sound apart from their footsteps on the wooden pier was that of the Atlantic Ocean lapping gently below.

Thirty minutes later, they had strolled to the length of the pier in silence and with each step, they took their unspoken truce from earlier dissipated as the tension between them build once more. It was a direct contrast to the gentle waves below which rolled in lapped at the shoreline and receded back into the ocean.

Michonne sat down on the wooden bench at the lookout.

Rick walked the perimeter, held onto the railing and looked out at the ocean. It was futile, of course, he could see nothing but the moon's silvery reflection in the water below. The last thirty minutes of silence was also futile. _Someone had to say somethang_.

It was as if she heard his unspoken words. "Rick, I'm sorry for hurting you and then disappearing on you." The words fell from her lips laden with grief and followed by sniffles.

The pain in her voice immediately summoned him to her. He chose to stoop down in front of her because she hung her head low, so from his vantage point she was forced to look at him.

He took her hands into his and looked up into her sad face, "Michonne… babe, please don't cry." He said wiping her tears away with the pad of his thumb.

"I just wanted you to know that my parents didn't force me to do it. I made the choice myself. I knew what family meant to you, but I still chose to abort our baby because I wasn't prepared to be a mother at seventeen, I'm sorry."

Rick knew the outcome. They had fought over it the day before her appointment and subsequent disappearance. But somehow, hearing the words out loud was like a sucker punch to his gut. He was a widower, a thirty-four-year-old man with no offspring. A choice not at all his own. It was somethang his mother constantly reminded him of every time he visited. Sixteen years ago was the closest he ever came to that dream.

"Michonne, I know that now…"

"It's okay to hate me, you know? I don't expect you to understand."

"Babe, I didn't come here to pick a fight nor to blame you." He said sitting down beside her.

"By the way, thank you for not getting into it back at the restaurant."

"I wasn't prepared to be a father at the time either... I thought I was… but I wasn't."

She seemed surprised by his response, "Oh!" she exclaimed.

"I was married for a while… but we had no children."

Michonne winced… yet another reason for her to feel like shit.

"Lori took ill shortly after we were married and she passed three years ago."

She felt his pain once more. "I'm so sorry, Rick," Michonne said as tears stained her face once more.

Rick took his handkerchief from the inside of his jacket pocket and offered it to her.

"Thank you... all that to say, I spent the last six months of her life at home taking care of her. It was only then I understood what caring for a child would have entailed. At seventeen, that would have been a full-time job for us, plus, schoolwork; even if our parents offered to help… they were never going to make it easy for us even though they had the means to do so."

"No, they wouldn't have. I needed my parents signature for the procedure, so the deal was if they sign it, we would leave to start fresh because dad figured you'd just knock me up again."

"Your father must have some sort of powers to predict the future, huh?"

His comment caused Michonne to chuckle. Back then it had crossed her mind too, only then, it wasn't really funny at the time.

Rick was happy to see that her mood had lightened.

"So, you don't hate me anymore?" Michonne clarified.

"I never hated you… I could never hate you, Michonne. I was upset that you wouldn't let me go with you…"

"Rick, had you gone with me, we would have just kept driving. I could have never gone through with it if you were with me… your plan was to elope, don't you remember?

"It was a good plan."

"How far could we have gotten on less than two thousand dollars between the two of us? I would've needed medical care, and we needed a place to live… you were driven by your heart, but we didn't have a good plan."

"When you put it that way, I guess it could've used some finessing. Plus, even if we had gotten married, we still couldn't touch the money before twenty-five. So, they still hold all the cards… but they would let us run as far as we could until such time we came back home to beg."

"True."

"So, how about you… any kids for you in the future?"

"Omg, what did you do? Were you stalking me online?" She asked playfully slapping his arm.

"I may have when I saw the new name…" he answered sheepishly.

"I'm not discussing my marriage with you, Rick."

"Fair enough, but can you still have a drink with a friend now that we no longer have a chaperon?"

"Yes. But only one. I need my beauty sleep. I have a presentation to deliver tomorrow morning."

"I am confident you can handle anythang you put your mind to, Ms. Bouvier."

"That's Mrs. Bouvier-Madison, kind sir."

He chuckled and extended his hand. "Shall we?"

"We shall!"

**...**

Two hours later, the two closed out the bar. The bartender, Olivia was happy too because their public display of affection in the back corner was getting a little heated.

Michonne was tipsy, but she insisted she could return to her room on her own because there's no way the two of them should be left alone.

He argued he would see her safely to her door.

She relented allowing Rick to walk her there. As such, he was charged with carrying her sandals and her purse, _somethings never change, _he thought; whenever she drank she preferred to be barefoot. He never understood that logic, but he acquiesced.

They were going to the penthouse per her instructions. The older couple on the elevator held the door for them. But the moment the couple debarked and the door closed behind them, the energy changed in that small enclosed space.

The heat that had been smouldering and kept tampered down all night rose.

Michonne pushed Rick against the mirrored back wall, laced her arm around his neck and brought his face to hers bit his bottom lip then licked it. She repeated her actions once more until his lips parted slightly granting her tongue entry.

The lust in her dark brown eyes was reflected back in his sapphire blues.

This was new, she was the aggressor and he liked it very much, so did his dick which twitched its response as she moaned into his mouth. Her hand fisted his silky curls as she devoured his mouth. It was fast and aggressive.

She tasted of berries and a hint of wine from the sangrias she drank earlier.

He tasted of a smooth smoky flavoured scotch.

Rick knew to engage in this behaviour was wrong but they had been dancing around their feelings all night, he wanted to... no... he needed her. He knew they were treading on dangerous territory, but it was her rule book, so he decided to follow her lead and abandoned himself to the searing kiss.

The elevator came to a halt and she broke their kiss, hearts racing and their breathing heavy, she slid the key into the slot to open the doors which lead directly into the suite.

**….**

Michonne moaned loudly, her hands fisted the sheets as her hips gyrated under his mouth, her release was imminent. She screamed his name as her body convulsed once more and Rick swallowed her essence.

He slowly kissed his way up her body, reacquainting himself with it and appreciating the subtle changes womanhood had brought along in her feminine curves.

He kissed her lips tenderly, his tongue slowly entering her mouth and allowing her to savour her essence on it.

Her fingers fumbled to undo his belt.

"Michonne, babe, I don't have anythang with me… I would have to run to CVS." he said as he deterred her from disrobing him further knowing there would be no going back at that point.

She needed him like she needed oxygen to breathe. She turned away looking for her purse, reaching down into her purse which lay open on the floor she pulled out the CVS bag and tossed it to him.

Opening the bag, he pulled out a box of Trojans and raised his brow at her.

"Aaron did that. He said he couldn't babysit us all night, so if we can't be good, we should at least be careful."

**Please show your support by leaving a review in the box below. Much appreciated, thanks.**


	5. Chapter 5

**The Exes**

* * *

**Coming Full Circle, Part II**

* * *

_**Two days after the hookup...**_

"Do tell, Olivia," Aaron said encouraging the nosy bartender to spill the tea on a certain couple as he walked out onto the patio carrying a pitcher of sangria with his cell phone attached to his ear. "A shameless hussy, I would tend to agree… they really should have taken it to their room. I'm so sorry you had to witness all that, but at least he was a generous tipper." He sat the pitcher down next to the plate of crudites and ended the call.

"Earth to Michonne. Come in, Michonne!" He said, touching her arm to get his twin's attention whom he half suspected was actually dosing behind her oversized shades.

"Uhh, what?" She answered.

"He must've really rocked your world the other night, huh?" Aaron said as he sat down and teased a rather distracted Michonne. The latter was wearing an oversized pair of sunglasses. The two friends were seated on the back patio of the property Aaron and Paul rented.

Aaron sipped on his sangria and pecked at the platter of assorted crudites, so as not to spoil his appetite before Paul returned.

Michonne tried hard to hydrate ignoring the pitcher of sangria in the middle of the table reason being she was still nursing a dull headache. She also felt sluggish from all the alcohol she drank a few days before, as such, her drink of choice was Perrier and lime.

"He blew your back out real good, huh?... girl that man had you stuttering when he walked in late during your presentation I've never seen you so flustered before."

"I dunno what you're talking about…" she deflected, "since when does it take this long to get over a hangover? It's been two days and I still feel sluggish."

"Since you married that old man… are you gonna talk about it?"

"Aaron, my head hurts."

"Sweetie, don't you be pulling that shit now, you dun spilt the milk… you probably should 'ave used that one the other night."

Michonne ignored him. "How's your father-in-law doing?" She asked in an attempt to change the subject. She didn't want to think about the man who was once again pissed at her and whose phantom touch she felt days later. She knew coming to Savannah would be a mistake… and it was, she had managed to mess up two relationships. _What the fuck was wrong with her?_

"He'll be fine… they just needed to adjust his medication… you know new meds and all. He gets out tomorrow. About that, you wanna tell me how the hell you two managed to run into one another?"

"Someone stood me up, remember? I was texting you when he walked into the restaurant. Turns out we're staying at the same place."

"Unbelievable," he said shaking his head in disbelief. "This shit could only happen to you…"

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"The only man you've been with who doesn't have that vibe… is Ty."

"What vibe's that?"

"The one that can hone in your location without really trying to do so…"

"What?"

"Sweetie, your so naive… it's precious. I finally see why you fell for the old man. He's for all intents and purposes a black older version of the one you fucked two nights ago."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean, Aaron? You're making no sense whatsoever. They have nothing in common other than their profession."

Her remark caused Aaron to double over while holding his stomach and spewing some of his drink into the air followed by a serious bout of coughing.

"Serves your ass right."

Minutes later after regaining his composure, Aaron taunted, "See, mine's a temporary problem… you my love, you're screwed both literally and metaphorically speaking. You have a type… Rick is as much Marcus as Marcus is Rick."

"You're crazy."

"Oh, really? Says the woman whose husband banished an employee to Mumbai just because he ogled his wife in his presence? I doubt Marcus' the type to be bonding with his Eskimo brother and something tells me neither is Rick. Didn't you say, Rick lost his shit back in high school because some guy asked you out even though you and weren't officially a thing?"

Michonne thought about what was said, but she said nothing.

"Are you going to tell him? You know you can't lie for shit."

"I tried to, but shit's falling apart in Mumbai he was in last minute meetings before leaving for the airport. He said we'd talk later… Anyway, why did you leave? I thought we were having a good time."

Aaron gave Michonne a look of disbelief. "Did that man fuck all of your senses out of you? Yeah, we were having a good time and you were well behaved too, but Rick doesn't share well with others, at least, not when it comes to you."

"We needed to talk, but I kept stalling."

"Did y'all managed to do any talking between all of the face sucking and the horizontal mambo? It seems you both left the bar, but when you return it got rather heated in the back corner of the bar."

Michonne choked on her drink. "Omg, you had the bartender spy on us?"

"Nah, Olivia told me she almost had to call 911 to get y'all hosed down because y'all were acting like a couple of horny teenagers."

Michonne blushed and Aaron laughed.

"So, what are you going to do about it?"

"I feel so guilty, Aaron. It's not as if Marcus has ever given me a reason to cheat on him. He's a good man… Look at the lengths he went through to get met to even look at him. Until Rick showed up, I never once considered it. I never did the other night either, if anything, I was fully prepared for him to hate me… to say all the harsh things he didn't get to say back then, but he didn't…"

"All kidding aside, sweetie, Marcus' a good guy and from the little time I spent with Rick, he seems to be a genuinely good guy too, that is when he's not sending out his _get duh fuck outta here vibes_. I think you're fortunate to have both of them in your life. That said, however, I don't think they're the kind of men who are into polyamorous relationships."

"I hate you." She answered back, she was hoping that his take away would help her but it didn't.

"How can I be in love with both of them, Aaron?"

"Sweetie, it happens, but in the end, you're gonna have to choose one."

"This is all your fault, you know?"

"Let the record show, I did for you what neither of you had the foresight to do for yourselves, I bought y'all rubbers. What other friend would have done that? Sasha would have dragged you by your braids kicking and screaming with a lecture and enrolled your cheating ass in her Bible studies to cleanse your wretched soul."

The last part caused the twins to erupt into laughter. Their friend Sasha was having a rough bout of guilt after her husband, Bob had a heart attack and collapsed on top of her. He later died. As a result, Sasha gave up the pleasures of the flesh and turned to religion for solace. But Sasha being Sasha took everything to a new level. She was a little extra that way, but they loved her all the same. There was also a hundred dollar bet on the table as to just how long this latest obsession of hers would last. Michonne gave her eighteen months while Aaron gave her a year, she was nine months in so it was still anyone's guess.

"But in all honesty, Aaron, I did say no to Georgia, but no you had to guilt my ass into coming back here."

"Sweetheart, Georgia had nothing to do with your inability to say 'NO' when it mattered most. Plus, he would have found you sooner or later and the result would have been the same.

A silence fell between the two friends as Michonne pondered his statement.

**…..**

_**Almost eight weeks **__**later...**_

Marcus Madison was an early riser and as such, he would lay in bed and watch Michonne as she slept. It was something he enjoyed doing, she always seemed so content, but this morning something was different about her, Michonne didn't seem peaceful. It was as if she was wrestling with demons in her sleep.

She was petite, to begin with, but she had lost weight. He noticed shit like that. He was nothing if not observant when it came to Michonne. His first two wives claimed he never paid enough attention to them, so he reformed himself for Michonne. He was lucky to have found her, so he wasn't about to fuck up yet another marriage. Michonne was wife number three, the perfect charm, she was the lifer. She complimented him in every way.

Michonne was intelligent, confident, beautiful, honest, compassionate, strong, adventurous, and funny, but most of all he trusted her completely. It was something considering prior to that, the last woman he trusted was wife number one, at least that was until he discovered that his twelve-year-old son was not his biological son, but that of a former colleague of his. It would seem while he was busy busting his ass moving up the corporate food chain, to keep her in a life of luxury, a bottom feeder was taking care of his business in his own house. The joke was all on him. He only discovered the truth when M.J. took ill and they discovered he had a rare blood type which made it impossible for him to be the father, needless to say, the relationship between father and son became strained once the biological father came back into the picture. In a moment of rashness, he ensured the situation would never repeat itself.

Michonne was nothing like either of his two previous wives, she didn't need him It was more like he needed her, she checked him and kept him balanced. They could converse without the need for him to switch lingo because she was more than just a pretty face, she was the entire package, so on that basis alone, he was content, she had opened up his heart up to the possibility of love once more.

Marcus recalled the night they met four years earlier, it was a dinner. That night, there were many of Washington's elites at the event, but she was the one flower all the powerful men gravitated towards. She was captivating, for the life of him, he couldn't remember a word she said that night, but he knew he had to meet her, so he proceeded to interject himself into every group in which she found herself. Eventually, he was standing next to the former President who was deeply immersed in a conversation about education.

Marcus was fascinated by her, in a room of a few hundred people, she managed to meet the former President and was engaged in conversation with him. Marcus knew then, she was destined for great things. She was a go-getter. He had been in Washington near half his life and did not run in such prestigious circles as she did at her age. At that moment, he hadn't recognized that she was somewhat of a celebrity in her own right, that came later.

He was so drawn to Michonne, he began engineering ways to see more of her. He even pulled strings to get a position lecturing part-time at George Washington so he could get to know her. She was very cautious at first, given that her previous marriage ended in a train wreck. They eventually became friends, then he asked her out at the end of the year and she said yes. He never renewed his contract. In all honesty, he had no time for the extra work, so he often delegated his prep work to a young brash attorney named, Negan. Marcus would present him with vague hypothetical scenarios and let him run with them.

Negan was hungry for power, so Marcus exploited it, in exchange for a blind eye here and there burying a report or two regarding Negan's behaviour with the administrative staff. After each incident, he would send Negan overseas for a spell until things cooled down.

At the time, however, he never expected these inconsequential deeds of his past would come back to bite him in the ass.

…

After dating six months, Marcus knew Michonne was the one, he popped the question and six months later they were married. Theirs was an unconventional relationship being he was seventeen years her senior, and his position required quite a bit of travelling to Europe and Asia, so he required a woman that was faithful, one who could stand on her own in his absence but adventurous and open to new experiences and being her own boss, she could take off at a moment's notice scheduling permitting of course. Michonne ticked all of his boxes.

…

"Sweetheart, are you alright?" Marcus asked his wife who bolted from their bed and rushed to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She sat on the bathroom floor holding her hair back and emptied the contents of her stomach, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and answered her husband.

"Yes… just a little under the weather, but I'll be fine."

Marcus had been home for four days now, but it was long enough to notice a marked change, something had shifted in their relationship.

It was a beautiful Saturday morning in August, the weather was just perfect a light breeze could be felt and the trees gently swayed in the distance as the couple ate breakfast on the terrace. It was one of Michonne's favourite things to do. He enjoyed doing the little things for her. They didn't cost much but she appreciated them more than the grand gestures... the key was to balance the two.

Their ritual… was a morning tryst followed by a long steamy shower. After which time, he would make them breakfast and they would eat on the terrace overlooking the Potomac.

Since returning, however, they had made love several times but it wasn't the same. He was disappointed because he could think of nothing else for almost eight weeks. Then again, she seemed to be coming down with something, so he insisted she saw the doctor for a check-up, that was two days before. Since that time, she had shut down. It was literally like pulling teeth to engage her in a conversation. This was not them... conversation was never lacking between them.

He didn't know what he had done or didn't do… but she was giving him the cold shoulder.

Their schedules would allow them another day before they were back into the hustle and bustle of their professional lives… though hers never seems to stop because she always had papers to grade.

"Sweetheart, is everything okay?" Marcus asked his preoccupied wife who was busy pushing the food around her plate which was a huge red flag because she had a voracious appetite for food and other things.

He knew she had reason to be pissed because their travel plans had been derailed when some asshole contractor pulled out at the eleventh hour which meant instead of meeting up with her in Savannah as planned and going to the Serengeti to celebrate her birthday, he was off to Mumbai to salvage the deal. That happened almost eight weeks earlier. As a result, he missed not only her birthday but also their anniversary too.

Michonne was not a materialistic person, the Mumbai affair was beyond his control and that was his professional life he was fighting to save. They both travelled often for work, it was their lifestyle but granted he had never been gone for so long. He knew that was not the underlying issue, but something was festering because she was off which meant he was off…. he couldn't quite put his finger on it because she had become distant in the past two days both physically and emotionally.

"Marcus, I lied to you," she confessed not knowing how to cushion the blow, so she allowed the words to escape her lips in one long tirade. "When I was in Savannah… something happened. I slept with someone and I'm pregnant."

Marcus placed the cutlery on his plate to signify he had finished his meal which was only half-eaten. The shock had not yet sunk in. He knew something was wrong but he wasn't expecting this.

"Please say something, Marcus," she begged as her tears flowed silently down her face. "I'm sorry. I never meant for it to happen."

"Do I know him?"

Confused, she asked, "What?"

"Do I know him?"

"You know of him."

"You slept with your ex after everything's he's done to you?" He asked incredulously.

"I slept with an ex but it wasn't Tyrese."

"Was it a one time deal?"

"I told you that I am pregnant by another man and you want to know many times we were together?"

"Do. You. Still. Love. Him. Counselor?"

"What?"

"It's a yes or no question? What's so complicated about it?"

"I love you, Marcus." she cried harder. "I tried telling you this for almost eight weeks now, but you were too preoccupied with work. I felt guilty right after it happened… I still do."

"Then, it shouldn't be a big deal, get rid of it!"

"It's complicated… I can't do that again."

"What are saying to me, Michonne?" Marcus asked irritated and pissed at her betrayal.

Michonne's head was throbbing, in the four years she had known her husband, he had never once raised his voice to her. The last time he called her counselor, he was dating her. The last time he called her by her name was to say their vows, since that time, she had always been Beautiful, Mrs. Madison, Gorgeous, Sweetness.

He was unravelling and fast from the news especially so soon after the debacle at work.

They had a good marriage, no real spats that she could recall, but here they were in an epic show of dominance all because of one night that just seems to keep on giving.

She couldn't forget his scent, his touch, the way he made her feel. She couldn't even allow Marcus to touch her the way he used to because she was torn between her feelings for both of them but slowly her feelings for Rick was destroying what she had built with Marcus and the latter sensed it.

Now, there was this little person in the middle of what was shaping up to be an all-out war because she was booked on a flight to Atlanta that afternoon.

"I have to tell him. I'm going to Atlanta later today." She said defiantly with tears streaming down her face.

Marcus got up from the table, having finally made the connection, that the part of her behind the wall he couldn't reach was not the woman that was cheated on, but the seventeen-year-old girl. The one who had an abortion all those many years ago. So that meant the fucker was back in their lives too, having left his calling card behind.

"I don't understand, you said you never wanted children."

"I didn't at seventeen. Ty and me, we began trying as soon as we got married, but it never worked. Eventually, he got two women pregnant and our marriage started falling apart then he got injured… I figured it was karma for what I did."

"So then you lied to me about not wanting children?"

"Marcus, don't rewrite our history. You told me you had a vasectomy after your first wife tried passing another man's child off as yours. You then asked me whether it was a deal-breaker for us. I told you it wasn't because I truly didn't think I could conceive after having tried for years with no luck. I told you my ex and I also tried IVF and it didn't work. You proposed to me shortly after that."

"And over the years, was this something you yearned for? Did you two even bother with protection?"

"I didn't yearn for something which my own actions likely robbed me of. But now that I am… I'm keeping it… whether he wants to be a part of my child's life it matters not. I can support us but he deserves to know."

"And you're my wife, Michonne... so that child is every bit mine as it is yours or his…"

"Marcus, sweetheart, please don't. I can't do this…" she said as she walked out of the room.

"Are you asking me for a divorce… is that what this is? This isn't over between us, Michonne." He yelled at her retreating figure.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**A/N** Thanks to all of you wonderful reviewers, I truly appreciate you taking the time to leave me your thoughts. I enjoy reading them as much as you look forward to an update. I'm also very happy that Aaron's getting some well-deserved love in this fic because he's not so nice in my other fic. That said, however, I'm sure you've noticed that he's in just about everything I've written because I truly love his character.

On another note, thanks for accepting this chapter as is because I know its a very touchy subject. Thanks for not hurling stones at Michonne or me. By now, you must have figured out that this fic was largely inspired by the new heartbeat bills which were passed in Ohio, Georgia, and Missouri, it made news all the way up here in Canada. Obviously, you know where I stand, no one or any government should ever decide what a woman can or cannot do with her body. It's the reason I allowed Michonne to make that choice for herself even though she still required her parents signature to authorize the procedure.

This fic was my soapbox moment.

_Note:_ This will be a consolidated review. Please feel free to send me a PM at any time.

**flacagonzales**, Thank you! Lol, I hope you like the new update.

**RBGzMom**, I hope this chapter sheds some light on M & M's relationship/marriage for you.

**tvtaughtmehowtofeell**, Your comment made me chuckle. Thanks, I needed that.

**viva1215**, Thank you! Aaron is most definitely the best. Lol.

**jerkchickenz**, I totally agree with you. Michonne is full of surprises, isn't she? Thank you!

**courtgirl26**, Fair enough, but thank you for giving this fic a shot, I truly hope you enjoy it. Poor Marcus… it's not his fault Michonne met Rick first. I hope this chapter will explain her dilemma a little better.

**Yelle Hughes**, Thanks so much, girl. You can do it, just keep at it! IKR, Michonne keeps running but at least she sat still long enough to talk. Thank you!

**LovemesumRick**, I died laughing reading your review. Loved it. Hope you've since recovered, but after reading this update… I dunno about those pearls. Thank you!

**Cleo Griffith**, A sincere thank you for understanding and not stoning me. Richonne is boss. Ugh, the doormat, yeah, unfortunately, she's still in Atlanta. You'll see her again.

**Richonne4Ever**, Thank you for understanding. Yes, Aaron is the best bestie ever. Poor Marcus, he gets no love. Thank you!

**Philly Girl52,** That was hilarious. The condoms were a nice to have like a good girl scout "be prepared". Rick's a giver so he gave. Lol.

**richonnelove1**, Thank you! and **amberjoy 38**, Yes, you're both right, Aaron does know how to read a room.

**Niquepc**, I agree with you regarding their sad history, charged chemistry, and Aaron. Thank you!

**Grimesallday** and **Dejede**, I hope this chapter explains how they got to the end of chapter 3.

**atm0000**, Thanks so much. I appreciate it. Thanks for understanding both of their positions. As you can see from this update your thoughts were not off the mark. It's really interesting seeing folks points of view considering this current update was already written while chapter 6 is partially written.

**itiswhatitis174** and **klittle3476**, Thank you and stay tuned.

**Aren33,** OMG, that was funny, but he's protecting his twin... he was trying too. Lol.

**Guest**, Thank you for your ongoing support.

_So, I was really going to wait until after completing my reading and quiz to post this update, but after seeing the trailer for s.10, I was thoroughly disgusted and I thought you all might need a pick me up. I hope you've enjoyed this update._

**_The question now is whether or not the readers who actually review will be quitting the fandom? In order to bring these stories to the fandom, we writers need your written support too, so please don't forget to leave a review in the box below. Much appreciated, thanks._**


	6. Chapter 6

**The Exes**

* * *

**Coming Full Circle, Part III**

* * *

_**Two weeks after the conference...**_

"How may I help you, ma'am?" Enid asked the crazed blue-eyed woman.

"I'm here to see Rick Grimes and please don't tell me he's not in because I just saw him walk through the front door fifteen minutes ago."

"I wasn't going to tell you that, ma'am, but he's in a meeting with his boss," Enid said as a quick come back because her boss's go-to excuse was already shot to shit and he never provided an excuse for Mrs. Anderson stalking his comings and goings from the office.

The woman was persistent if nothing else. The calls began the day after Rick left for Savannah. At first, the calls were pleasant enough, but as time went by, Mrs. Anderson became a snapping turtle ready to bite at anythang. By day three, she was downright unpleasant. She just couldn't seem to accept hearing the words 'he's unavailable'.

_It didn't take a blind man to see that he had stuck his cigar into the wrong honeypot cause lawd gawd, the bitch was crazy_, the timid young woman mused to herself because Rick Grimes who was ordinarily an easy-going man, who always had a nice word for everyone and would stop to give a helping hand had changed. He came back from the conference in a pissy mood. So, this, desperate Susan was in for a treat.

"All the better… Mr. Greene outta to know what type of person his right-hand man truly is." She answered barging pass the receptionist and zooming down the hallway.

Rhee, whose office was closest to the front heard the exchange and came out of his office to see whether he could be of assistance to the poor receptionist, but the small man was almost run over by a madwoman dressed in a plaid shirt and mom jeans with flip flops on her feet that went plop… plop… plop punctuating her ire as she breezed by him on her mission.

"Ma'am, you can't just barge in there," Rhee said to the back of the blonde woman who looked as though she was about to kill someone.

"Call for security," Rhee called back at Enid as he followed the madwoman further into the maze of offices.

Rhee knew that things were about to turn south fast because Grimes had not been himself since he came back from Savannah. He had begun keeping to himself a lot. His door which was usually left slightly opened was closed more often. They all thought phase would pass but it hadn't and it had been two weeks since.

**….**

Jessie was pissed. She knew she should have slammed the door in his face, but he looked so crestfallen, like a lost puppy she just could not turn him away. She was angry at herself for broaching the subject of the camping trip right after the deed was done, but it seemed like the perfect time, he was in a happy place and she put him there. That night, he was obviously still pissed at her from their earlier spat, so he was a little rough but she didn't hold it against him. In fact, she quite liked that side of him. That night he actually gave her a nickname, 'Myshonne'; sure, it was unusual but it was hers. He finally claimed her. Finally, it meant they were moving forward.

That morning, however, when Jessie woke up, she was alone. He had been long gone because his side of the bed was cold. He hadn't even stayed throughout the night, her heart broke. How the hell could he?

**...**

Since that time, Rick has been ignoring her after he tried explaining to her that it wasn't her… but him, that he'd never gotten over her… like how much longer was she expected to wait for him to let go of his wife. Lori was dead and she had done everything in her power to set things in motion once an appropriate amount of time had elapsed, so Rick's dismissal wasn't sitting well with her at all.

Jessie figured Rick was probably sleeping on the couch in his office because she would wait up nights for him, waiting for the lights to come on next door but they never did. She tried calling his cell which he never answers, she often wondered why he even bothered to pay for a phone he never used. Plus, he refused to give her the number for his business cell saying she had no need for that number because it was a work phone. So, she resolved her problem, she started calling his office on a daily basis except he was always busy, in court or god only knows what. She couldn't wait around any longer, she had to act. So she decided to pay him a visit.

"Rick Grimes," he snapped at the intrusion.

"Sir, Mrs. Anderson is heading back there; security has been notified."

Rick was pissed. It had gone too far. He couldn't understand why she was so fixated on him. _It wasn't as if he was the only person she ever dated…_ his office door flung open and Jessie stood there with her hand on her hips. Her face was fixed somewhere between rage and disbelief.

"Some meeting this is, huh?"

"Jessie, what the hell are you doing here?" Rick fumed. He knew he was partly to blame for what he realized only too late as giving out mixed messages which resulted in their current mess. He fucked up. The last time he slept with her he was feeling a certain way, his run hadn't done the job, next thang he knew he was balls deep in Jessie working off his frustration. After, when she fell asleep he left through the back door, crossed the street and returned home.

He had since tried talking to Jessie, but she was convinced it was Lori's wish that they would become a family. Lori had set it up and they owed it to her to see it through. Rick wondered how he had not seen it before but it was crystal clear, the woman was delusional.

He finally came to the conclusion that there was no reasoning with her, so he called up his buddy Shane and had been crashing on his couch until he left for the conference.

**...**

Rick stood up from his leather seat not sure what the woman would do next. He didn't have time to deal with Jessie's crazy because his head was otherwise occupied with what he was going to do about his problem in Alexandria.

It had been two weeks and by now he expected a call. He knew Michonne well enough to know that she would tell her husband, she couldn't live with herself otherwise. So, why the hell hadn't she called by now. It crushed him to think that maybe… just maybe this old man had replaced him in her heart. But it couldn't be because his heart hadn't splintered into bits like it did when she upped and vanished before... so there was hope.

Rick knew he had been difficult to be around since the conference, so he mostly kept to himself, but here was Jessie invading his space yet again. In that instant, he knew the solution to both his problems. It was time to shake things up.

**...**

"You wanna closed the door behind you, Jessie?" he asked not wanting to air any more of his dirty laundry in the office as he sat on the edge of his desk and wait for her to be seated. It was taking all his will power not to lose his shit with her, so being at his workplace certainly helped. He had to remain calm and be professional but he really wanted to put his fist through the door instead he pinched the bridge of his nose. At that moment, he empathized with Pete… he knew it was wrong to think that way but Jessie was pushing him to the brink.

Momentarily, he wondered whether part of the anger and frustration he was feeling wasn't fuelled by someone other than the desperate woman before him.

"Jessie, why are you here? This is my workplace. You could have left me a message…"

"You mean… like the many, I left that you didn't return?"

"Jessie, there was nothing new to say… we've been over the same thang a thousand different ways. Do you have somethang new to talk about?"

"Yeah, I'm late."

"Jesus, Jessie, I gave you a brand new car… you don't expect me to be putting gas in it too, do you?"

"I'm late… you're not listening to me, Rick."

"Sorry… about what? Had you not hung around out there for god knows how long and barged your way into my office… you might be on time for your appointments. I can't fix your shit, Jessie... that's on you."

Jessie looked at him stunned at the dressing down he was delivering as though she was a child. He had completely missed the message. She sometimes wondered how the professional astute man could be so obtuse when it comes to personal stuff.

Rick realized Jessie wasn't getting the message, but he couldn't lose his shit the office was still full of people because she chose to ambush him with witnesses.

"Rick, I'm pregnant," Jessie said, spelling it out for him and ending what was turning out to be a poorly written farce.

Jessie watched as the colour drained from his face. It was not what she was expecting.

It wasn't the kind of news he was expecting and certainly not an experience he wanted with Jessie… perhaps just about any other woman on the face of the earth but certainly not with Jessie. He mentally calculated and if it was true, the condom had to have been defective which would make her six weeks along. He couldn't even dispute the possibility because he was standing at her front door in the middle of the fucking night. "_Fuck!_" He thought.

"Rick, it'll all work out. You'll see… I love being a mom… and this lil addition would just solidify our bond… if we're lucky, it'll be a little girl because we already have a house full of boys." She added, her face hopeful with large blue eyes that sparkled.

"Look, Jessie, even if I'm the father of this baby… it changes nothang for us. I don't love you, Jessie. I most certainly will provide for our child but that's all I can promise you… I'm sorry.

It was the last straw, the reserve strength which propelled her through the front door and down the hall abandoned her. She broke, down her big sad blue eyes filled up with tears and her body shook from her sobs.

Rick slowly opened his office door and left himself out and security in.

**….**

_**Eight weeks after the conference...**_

Rick took to riding his bike more. Lately, he used it as a means of transportation between home and his office. Upon arriving home at night, he showered, prepared something to eat, took care of the dishes and packed a few boxes. There was no time to be fucking around. His focus was laser-sharp. He wasn't taking much with him, his boxes would be stored at Shane's place and his house was being placed on the market as a furnished rental.

His cards were all in place and he wasn't about to fuck them up. In a matter of days, he would be starting his life over.

That night, he left his office for the last time and turned over his keys to Rhee. His boss, Hershel was not happy with his decision given it was in the midst of pre-approved annual leave so the deal was if he could get Rhee, the single dude with no life up to speed, to carry the burden for four weeks till the flock all returned in September only then would he accept his resignation.

Rick would have climbed Mount Everest or even walk through fire if it meant leaving sooner rather than later. It was a challenge, so Rhee became his shadow. They were the first to arrive in the morning and the last to leave at night.

It was the weekend, but neither he nor Rhee seemed to be able to distinguish that fact, as they often found themselves working. The two grabbed a beer at a nearby pub. After, they wished each other luck and parted ways.

Rhee watched his mentor as he rode away and his receding figure becomes smaller and eventually disappearing into the sultry August night.

Rhee was worried for his former boss because Grimes was exhibiting the classic signs of a man in a midlife crisis but he wasn't even that old. He hadn't been the same since he came back from Savannah; then there was the public meltdown of that crazy chick in his office. But Grimes mood had drastically improved, even more so when he gave his notice and their boss tapped him as his interim replacement. He knew Grimes wasn't a big sharer but he at least appeared to be living for a purpose, so who was he to intervene. He too had a purpose and it was not to fuck up the opportunity they gave to him.

**….**

It was a little before eight o'clock that night when the Uber pulled up to its destination.

Across the street, Michonne watched as a blonde woman followed behind two boys as they returned from the nearby park. The older one zoomed by on his skateboard on the street and veered off into the driveway of the house directly across the street. The younger boy who rode his bike on the sidewalk followed shortly after and turned into the driveway. She exits the vehicle and walked up to the narrow pathway leading to the front door.

The blonde, however, walked up to her front door but stood on the top step busying herself with retrieving flyers from the mailbox while keeping a keen eye on the African American woman with long braids who got out of the car and proceeded to walk up the pathway to Rick's front door.

Jessie took a good look at the woman and was instantly envious. The woman was graceful and walked down the pathway with confidence like the models she saw on her television during fashion week. The woman wore a long flowing printed red sundress with what appeared to be wedged heeled sandals on her feet, oversized shades, and carried an oversized purse and a backpack.

Michonne hastily adjusted her shades and waited patiently on the top step after ringing the doorbell.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Thanks to all of you wonderful reviewers, I truly appreciate you taking the time to leave me your thoughts. I enjoy reading them as much as you look forward to an update.

I agree that the trailer was in poor taste and that kiss was distasteful.

This will be another consolidated review list, with a few multiple chapter responses. Please feel free to send me a PM at any time.

**Ringleader1010**, You're welcome and thank you for your awesome edits, which are a source of inspiration to me.

**Grimesallday**, Thank you! Yes, Michonne's voice is strong… she has made two very important decisions about her body and she did put her men on notice too.

**AmayaNicole**, Welcome aboard and I'm happy this story helped take the sting out of watching that trailer. Thank you, I will continue to write as long as there's written support for my stories.

**Saddie529**, Sad but true. Richonne is boss.

**Cleo Griffith**, You're welcome. I am happy that the update came in handy and lessened that sting. Unfortunately, things will heat up, so who knows what will happen next.

**RBGzMom**, You're welcome. Girl, you know that writing room's trash. Their mandate is to seek out and erase anything Richonne or Grimes related. Sad, given that Rick Grimes is the one who built this franchise.

**viva1215**, Lol. That was funny, but we still don't know what happened. Poor Marcus, he was a good guy until he uttered those 4 words.

**Niquepc**, Okay, ma'am, I hear you. "He ain't Rick!" Thank you and stay tuned.

**flacagonzales**, Thank you! Girl, you know it.

**Mykith**, Thank you.

**Philly Girl52**, Thank you for sticking with us. Marcus appears to be a saint, that's what is worrisome; personally, I would've been breaking shit and swearing like a sailor. Regarding that kiss… Ugh, I can't even… it was disgusting.

**Timeout7**, Marcus is a mess… he has an unhealthy attachment to Michonne. Well, Michonne's father did predict he would do it again. Lol.

**Yelle Hughes**, Yes, Marcus' actions are red flags. Aaron is a card. Thank you.

**Richonne4Ever**, Thank you! Marcus is something else. M&M's relationship wasn't threatened until Rick showed up and told her that he forgave her. Michonne was all set for him to say all the things he didn't get to say when she disappeared. Until Rick had to care for Lori in her last days, he felt differently.

**Lovelyshmi**, Yeah to Aaron love. Yes, Michonne and Rick have grown and it shows they have matured over time. They each spoke their truth and resolved one issue only to create another. Marcus is a wild card at the moment but we all know Rick and what's important to him.

**courtgirl26**, The mess just got messier and it'll be a ride.

**jerkchickenz,** Lol, don't imagine it would be. Preach!

**Klittle3476**, Thank you. Yes, the baby makes it a beautiful complicated mess.

**LovemesumRick**, Damn gurl, dem pearls didn't last. Sorry 'bout that. Guess, you'll be needing a new pair of pearls and from what it sounds like, you may also need a lil help from the first responder Rick to resuscitate you. :) As promised, I did steal your desperate Susan reference.

**richonnelove1**, Thank you the kind compliment. It's comin' soon, so stay tuned.

**Smitty3514**, Yeah, Mr. Bouvier saw the writing on the wall long before it came to be a reality. She gave the Coles Notes version… why add more fuel to the fire.

**tvtaughtmehowtofeell**, Good to know. We'll soon find out as you can see.

**Dejede**, ikr. Seriously, eh?

**Bwy5**, I'm glad the humour wasn't lost. I thought throwing a little levity into the story might balance out the heavy stuff. Lol. So far, only Michonne and Marcus knows about the pregnancy. Wait till Aaron finds out. That should be hilarious. I hear you girl about Richonne law, so let it be so.

**Firefly-class**, Welcome aboard for the ride. Lol, indeed it might seem so. Thank you!

**Wetblanketrelay**, Welcome aboard for the ride and I'm happy you made an exception. I'm glad that you love messy because this story sure is that. I will keep at it as long as readers leave written feedback because let's face it … it motivates me to continue creating Richonne.

**Ms. J. Richonne, **Thank you. I know we've chatted about this but I still have to add you to the list.

**Aren33**, OMG, you're absolutely hilarious. Please don't die on me as LovemesumRick did.

**grimes1970**, You're right about a great many things. As you can see from this recent update, thangs haven't been easy for Rick either.

**minton131**, Thank you. Respect!

**Itiswhatitis174**, I agree with you on that. Glad to know you'll still be supporting the writers. Thank you.

**atm0000**, I think she is in that she never truly stopped loving Rick but accepted her fate for what her actions did to them given what family means to him. Marcus required only love from her, it was a clean slate to start over, they share a similar history so they healed one another. Marcus only realized after the reveal that all his protecting still couldn't reach a piece of her... he assumed it was the woman that Ty hurt but only then did he realized it was the teenager and she still had feelings for "the fucker was back in their lives too having left his calling card behind". Rick said he forgave her but that only came after having cared for his dying wife for six months. Until he knew what caring for a person fulltime was about it would seem that he did have some resentment for Michonne's actions but he still had feelings for her.

**ShunnieIsFine**, You're so right, nothing can stop Richonne. Yep, they've got a beautiful love square. Lol, you and your Negan love, at least you're persistent.

**rplee33**, Welcome aboard. I'm happy that you're enjoying this story.

**Richonne4Life**, Rick was being a gentleman naturally. The ball was in Michonne's court... she led and he followed. Only time will tell. Yes, they were meant to have many babies. When I started writing fanfic I pledged to give them just that because I never believed they would write a Richonne baby into a storyline, but they did and look how it turned out. I'm stepping off this landmine right now because you know it's a trigger for me. **Ms J. Richonne** are you proud of me? **R4L** Here's your update but don't make me wait 84 years for yours.

**Trininads**, Welcome on board this ride. I agree with every point you've made. One man… one night… CHAOS!

**MRJL**, Yes he is… a good trooper.

**Guest**, Thank you for your ongoing support its greatly appreciated. To the guest who re-read and asked for an update, leave a name next time for a shoutout.

**_In order to bring stories to the Richonne fandom, we writers also need your written support, so please don't forget to leave a review in the box below. Much appreciated thanks. #KeepRichonneAlive_**


	7. Chapter 7

**The Exes**

* * *

**Coming Full Circle, Part IV**

* * *

Rick stood under the hot shower with his eyes closed, his hands splayed against the tiled wall, and his legs splayed apart as the water cascaded over him working its magic loosening the kinks and knots in his tired body. It felt good. His thoughts naturally drifted to Michonne. Lately, it seemed his mind was stuck in a loop. She was his first thought when he opened his eyes in the morning and the last before closing them at night.

In a matter of days, he would be leaving for Alexandria, but he had no idea what to expect when he got there. However, he knew that sitting in Atlanta waiting for the phone to ring was no longer an option for him. If this thing was ever going to happen between them, it needed prodding, so that's exactly what he intended to do. The strategy of waiting for Michonne's lead was done… as far as he was concerned, it seemed he was out of sight and out of her mind, she had gone back to her perfect jet setting lifestyle because Savannah was beginning to feel more and more like an inconvenient convenience and if that was the case, she needed to tell him to his face that she didn't feel the same way he did. Until then, however, he was in this living hell and it had to end.

He often wondered whether or not he would have been this tortured if he knew she was alone sorting through her feelings. He wasn't sure, but the fact she lay next to another man night after night certainly had him questioning just how much their night together meant to her. _Did she even think about them and if so, why the fuck hadn't she called?_ He shook his head trying to dislodge his lingering doubts. In any event, he would know soon whether or not he made a mistake because he no longer trusts his gut.

**…**

The doorbell rang a second time before he could get to it. He wasn't expecting anyone and Shane would have just used his keys to let himself in. He hoped against hope that it wasn't Jessie or one of her boys bringing a message from her. The latter had calmed down since her meltdown in his office but she patently refused to do a paternity test until such time the baby was born and as a result, he informed her that he would step up only when the test proved he fathered her child. Since the incident, she retreated, which as far as he was concern was a good thing.

Michonne was in the process of dialling his house line when the door opened.

He stood in his doorway shocked. His wet hair was much shorter, his long silky curls were gone. The lower portion of the back and sides were also shorn off, but he had a fresh growth of stubble. His fresh clean scent assaulted her nostrils, his damp bare toned chest glistened from his recent shower. And her eyes hidden by her oversized shades travelled the length of his torso to the vee which disappeared below the waistband of his dark jeans, it caused her to inhale deeply and swallow hard.

Rick could not decide whether or not the sight before him was real. She had been on his mind none stop… and here she was on his doorstep. Despite all of his planning, however, he still had yet to figure out what he wanted to say to her. He figured he'd work that out on the ten-hour drive to Alexandria because he did some of his best thinking while driving.

She waited for him to say something… anything but he just stared at her.

"You wanna do it here, or can I come in?" she asked uncomfortable at the fact she couldn't read his emotions beyond the shock on his face.

She looked exquisite as always, but this time, there was something different about her.

Rick blinked then held the door open and moved to the side granting Michonne space to enter and closed the door behind her. As she walked by, a hint of her spicy fragrance brought back images of their entwined bodies on that forbidden night. Suddenly, he felt parched so he moistened his lips and followed her into the house.

Michonne walked several steps into the room which had several labelled boxes in the corner of the living room.

"You're moving… would you have told me?"

"I moving," he stated as a matter of fact, "can I get you something to drink? Sorry, I don't have anything fancy... scotch or beer?" He didn't like it. Sure, he was happy to see her, but he didn't know what to make of Michonne's sudden appearance especially after having had no contact whatsoever for two months. _She was wearing those damn shades which hid her eyes… her soul._ He could always gauge her mood when he looked into her eyes so he was at a disadvantage for the moment. His senses were on high alert… he wasn't sure whether he would like the direction of this unplanned visit but there was no escaping it.

"A glass of water, please and thank you."

She knew he was pissed, his muscles were taut and his handsome features were marred with uncertainty. She wanted to put him at ease but how? The last time she sought him out like this sixteen years ago, she placed him on notice and disappeared from his life. _I wouldn't trust me either_, she thought.

He knew whatever caused her to seek him out wasn't good. _Hell, it only took her two months_...

"I hope you don't mind if I fix myself a drink." He added rather cold. He was on the defensive trying to protect himself from whatever was coming.

_Yeah he most certainly was pissed_. "No, but you might wanna make it a double." She sniped back as she joined him in the spacious kitchen noting that his wife did have good taste, the house in general apart from the boxes was tastefully decorated in a warm southern decor. But it was all hers with no hint of him whatsoever.

"I know that you're mad at me, but you really have no reason to be."

"Don't I, Michonne?" He replied, placing a glass of iced water in front of her. She was now seated on a stool on the other side of the island. "I know you, Michonne… at least, I thought I did…" he said as he poured himself a double scotch neat.

Michonne removed her shades and looked into his icy blue eyes. "I'm sorry I hurt you, but I told you I had to tell him first."

"And it took you two months to do so?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know I had a timeline, but it wasn't something I could do over the phone… just like my visit here."

Rick sipped his drink as his patience grew thin, he knew that she had something to say but she was sure taking her sweet time getting to it.

"Did you leave him or not?" He asked frustrated.

She shook her head.

"I was there, Michonne, I know you still have feelings for me… enough that you were willing to compromise your principles to be with me."

"It's complicated, Rick." She added as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Complicated how... you either want to be with me or not. I told you how I felt and you told me you were married. It wasn't a clear no... just an obstacle."

"I'm pregnant, Rick." The words fell from her lips accompanied by tears sliding down her cheeks.

Rick felt his ire immediately deflate, but he remained cautious. This was the second declaration he had in as many weeks that he might be a father, but this one though more credible... it was tricky. He didn't want to be hurt again. He didn't want to hope for the impossible, so he remained on the defensive.

"Oh, I get it, so you told him because it could be mine, is that it? That's why you're here, isn't?"

His accusations hurt. Michonne expected him to be angry but this was more than she expected. She looked at him shocked.

"Weren't you sleeping with him before that night, Michonne?

"Rick, this is your child."

"How can you be so certain of that? If memory serves me correctly, you and hubby were supposed to spend the weekend in Savannah and jet off to a safari right after that."

"He had a vasectomy, that's how I know… that morning, things got messy… after the call, you… we didn't bother with condoms… it was too late once we fell apart."

Rick briefly recalled the events of that morning, things happened so fast, he recalled being pissed about the call and hanging up on the old man. They were both in need of a release, she had pleaded with him and he buried himself deep inside of her. He didn't regret anything.

He swallowed the rest of his drink in one shot steeling his nerves for what would follow next. "And?"

"I came here to tell you that I'm having your baby," Michonne added through her tears. "You don't have to forgive me, but I thought you ought to know."

"Okay. We're having a baby, but what does that mean for us?" He asked desperate for her to say the words he needed to hear.

"It's complicated… when I first told Marcus he told me to get rid of it. But when I told him that I'm keeping my child, he claims this child was just as much his as it is yours. He doesn't intend to leave…" she cried harder using the back of her hand to wipe her tears away. She was not one for such emotional displays but her hormones were running amok. She felt vulnerable.

Michonne carefully watched his reaction. His face darkened, his eyes remained ice blue, his nose flared, and his jaw clenched, but he said nothing. _Shit! _She knew divulging that much information was akin to adding butane a combustible situation but what choice did she have?

Rick passed her the roll of paper towel and walked around to the other side of the island to join her taking her into his arms.

"Don't cry, babe… everythang'll be okay. I promise."

"Rick?..."

"Babe?"

"I intend to carry this child to term... I can't be in the middle of whatever vendetta you're already plotting. I just thought you should know about your baby."

Rick pulled away slightly, "Are you seriously asking me to stand aside while another man raises my child because that's never gonna happen."

"I don't expect you to do that, but you're upset..." she looked at her watch. "It's getting late… I really should go… perhaps we could talk more tomorrow before I leave?" Michonne added and pulled away.

"Don't!"

"I can't stay, Rick. It's not a good idea..."

"We don't have to sleep together... there are two other bedrooms you could choose from…" he added his eyes pleading with her to stay. "You hungry? I was going to make myself something to eat, but we could order whatever my baby wants."

The words 'my baby' fell from his lips with reverence. He gave her a crooked smile as the palm of his hand splayed protectively over her stomach ever so lightly while images of her swollen stomach pregnant with his child flood his mind.

Michonne smiled, "You always did know the way to my heart, didn't you?"

"That's because it's mine," he said with newly found confidence. "What would you like to eat, babe?"

"My favourite... lasagna with caesar salad and loads of garlic bread. Do you mind if I take a shower?"

He chuckled. "No. Not at all. I'll call Georgio's and pick up the order while you get settled in." He said with a twinkle in his eyes.

He kissed her forehead and rest his against hers. "Thank you!"

"For what?"

"For being an amazing woman. My woman… my baby mama..."

**….**

An hour later, Michonne answered the front door to find not her baby daddy with her food, but the blonde from across the street.

"Hello?"

"I saw the lights on… is Rick at home? I'm his neighbour from across the street. I came by to drop off his mail which was placed in my mailbox by mistake." Jessie asked and explained herself. It did not escape her that the exotic woman was now dressed in a white silk pyjama set which contrasted beautifully against her rich dark coloured skin making her even more radiant. She was even more stunning up close, but she seemed blissfully unaware of its effect on others. Jessie felt like a rag doll in her regal presence, as a result, she felt her shoulders sagged more. Jessie hadn't expected to meet her up close and personal, she was expecting Rick's interference to shield the woman. Jessie was curious she wanted to poke around and see what was going on and from the woman's attire alone, it would appear a booty call was on the agenda. She wondered whether Rick had bothered to enlighten the woman of his impending parental status.

Everything about the exotic beauty seemed to sparkle especially the diamond wedding band on her left hand, that was a shocker. She knew things were too good to be true…as beautiful as the exotic woman was, she was nothing more than a common tramp. But the fact that Rick was entangled in a sleazy affair blew her mind… she understood in part that no man in their right mind would say no to such a woman, but Rick's behaviour was disrespectful to both Lori and herself.

"No, he's not. He stepped out but he should be back any minute now; would you like to wait for him?"

"Yes. I don't mind if I do," Jessie said entering the house noticing the boxes. "Oh, are you moving in?"

"No, I'm not, they're Richard's," Michonne added not knowing where the nosy Susan was going with her inquisition.

"So, where did you say you were from?"

"I didn't. Can I get you something to drink… a beer, perhaps?"

"Thanks, but no thank you. I can't drink because we're expecting."

"Oh, really? Congratulations. Ms?."

"It's just, Jessie…"

The news caused a brief shadow to cloud Michonne's face, but she quickly adjusted her professional mask and said nothing.

Satisfied at the woman's reaction, Jessie added. I see Rick has not told you then…"

"I'm sorry, I don't follow…tell me what?"

"About our baby…"

The news placed everything which occurred earlier into perspective. His suspicions as to whether or not he fathered her child... it seems her ex-boyfriend and baby daddy latest pastime was planting babies.

Just then the doorbell rang. Michonne answered it and Rick walked inside.

"Hey," he said both hands laden carrying two bags of food, "I got the little one a treat," he added with a goofy smile.

The tantalizing aromas of the lasagna and the garlic bread caused her stomach to growl.

Michonne smiled and shook her head realizing her role would be that of the disciplinarian because their child was only the size of a raspberry and he was already spoiling it. She knew he was going to be a great dad to his children.

"Your pregnant neighbour is here."

Rick's joyous mood suddenly disappeared and his face turned to granite.

**….**

Michonne followed Rick into the kitchen where Jessie sat. He placed the bags onto the countertop.

The earlier thawing which they had experienced prior to Rick leaving the house was now overshadowed by a cold front.

"Oh hi, Rick." Jessie smiled happily. "I just picked up my mail and realize the mailman dropped a couple of your letters in my box by mistake."

"And I suppose you couldn't have just placed them in my box." His tone was devoid of warmth.

"I would have but the light was on, so I thought I would just deliver them instead. Your friend said you'd be home in a minute..."

"But that's not the only reason you chose to deliver them tonight, was it?" He asked in a rather threatening tone.

"Rick, I don't understand…"

"Jessie, you're here because you were no doubt watching the house."

"Your friend allowed me to come in and wait… she even offered me a drink, but I declined… surely, you wouldn't want me drinking while I'm pregnant with our child."

"Rick, I'll be upstairs. Call me when it's safe to come down," Michonne added as she turned to leave a rapidly deteriorating situation which she unknowingly set into motion.

"Michonne don't go… I have no secrets from you." He said walking over and clamping his hand on her tiny waist pulling her to him.

The colour drained from Jessie's face as the name she once thought was hers alone fell from his lips a little more forceful than the last time she heard it. The realization that in the throes of passion he had called her by another woman's name left her speechless. Her tears streamed down her face mixed together with the snot that was streaming from her nose.

"Now, Jessie, can you please tell Michonne why you claim to be having my baby when you've also been dating the Monroe boy but you patently refuse to do the test which would confirm whether or not that child is mine?"

The news was a surprise to Jessie, she had no idea he knew who took up the slack given he only crawled into her bed twice since they hooked up on the sofa. "Rick, stop trying to make me out to be a whore… at least I'm not married and running around on my husband."

"Michonne's my wife and you don't ever disrespect her. Now get the hell out of my house!"

Jessie's reddened puffy tear-stained snotty-nosed face looked from one to the other for confirmation of what she heard, but she found no cracks in his admission. The couple looked very intimately familiar with one another, devastated she got up from where she sat, "DNA never lies, Rick, we'll see whether she stands by you once the baby's born." Jessie called back as she opened the front door.

"I will. I promise," was Michonne's response.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Thanks to all of you wonderful reviewers, I truly appreciate you taking the time to leave me your thoughts. I enjoy reading them as much as you look forward to an update.

This will be another consolidated review list, with a few multiple chapter responses. Please feel free to send me a PM at any time.

**flacagonzales,** Now ladies why are y'all doing this to me? I mean LovemesumRick dun broke her pearls and be lyin' dead on her kitchen floor. Aren33 now has a crack addiction and you, flacagonzales, Google says antacids are used for heartburn. I just can't be feeling responsible for y'alls medical problems. Lol. Jessie gets no love from me… sorry, not sorry.

**jerkchickenz**, Lol, Rick's got that BDE, he impregnates any childbearing female in his vicinity. Lmao.

**courtgirl26**, I truly hope that was just soda with your popcorn. I guess Messie ain't never got the memo declaring Richonne as the law of the land.

**richonnelove1**, I hope this update shed some light on thangs.

**viva1215**, I agree with you. He was always a little slow on the uptake with the two that preceded his perfect choice… his soulmate.

**Cleo Griffith**, Gurl, I'm dead and you killed me. Your review brought tears to my eyes.

**Niquepc**, I'm happy you enjoyed wacked messie. Thank you.

**Richonne4Ever**, I'm happy you had a good chuckle. Messie just saw her competition...

**Tremendouswitch**, (5) You're right there's nothing that will keep him away. (6) The verdict is still out on that one.

**trininads**, Yup, he sure does. Messie's world is really something else.

**Ms. J. Richonne**, J., a review and a call to cuss me out, really? That's a first. I couldn't even read the review properly because my eyes kept tearing up from the cramps in my stomach while you were on the phone telling me off. Wow. I can say it's a first that anyone has offered to harm me because Rick stuck his cigar in a Fire ant nest. It would serve his arse right if she's preggos… he dumped her... then ran right over there and humped her. WTF was he thinking?

**Mar02**, Exactly. You're most welcome.

**RBGzMom**, I love your way of handling this mess.

**Ringleader1010**, I hope this update alleviates some of your worries.

**LovemesumRick**, Messie sees thangs through rose coloured glasses. I hope this update doesn't upset you too much.

**Philly Girl52**, Your review left me speechless it cut straight to the bone. They're not in sync.

**Firefly-class**, It sure will. Thank you.

**Dejede**, You're right.

**ShunnieIsFine**, Missy, you're a better person than me. I feel nothing for Messie. Am I petty? Hell, yes! Petty as hell.

**atm0000**, You're hilarious. Unfortunately, people keep opening the damn doors in this fic.

**minton131**, You know me too well.

**Richonne4Life**, In my defence, I did say she was a convenience but Cleo Griffith said it more succinctly. She had me in tears. The catalyst was Jessie herself, her presence at his office invading his space led him to the solution to both of his problems. He decided to shake thangs up. I hope this latest update clears up where Rick's head is at.

**Shipspassing**, Thank you. The two stories feature teenage Richonne who were separated and found their way back to one another. That said, however, they are very different stories. One has a very vile living Lori while the other has a likeable but very dead Lori. In this story, Michonne's the one who is married whereas, in The Client, Rick was the one seeking a divorce.

I trust this update will answer some of your outstanding questions. The fact that a certain few dictates what we see is disturbing indeed. It's a ZA, not all white folks survived the apocalypse… nor did all minorities either. The mixed-race pairings made the show believable. After all, the world ended. The apocalypse was the leveller where affluent and poor alike were reduced to scavenging and killing for survival. But and at the end of the day, unless you had a family around you when you expired who could put you down and bury your remains you are doomed to walk the earth until being dispatched by the living in their fight for survival… That said, however, it was nice seeing diversity on the screen because it made the show believable. Don't even get me started on how they disrespect Michonne and Rick by totally disregarding a child created from their love only to highlight Judith. Why give us R.J.? I'm not against the Judith but for f***sake showcase Michonne with her own biological child too. What irks me is that this same disrespect is also mirrored in the fanfic and fan art too.

**grimes1970**, It's a life lesson for him.

**Yelle Hughes**, Messie shall always be a predictable mess.

**MRJL**, (5) Marcus is a trip. (6) As you can see, this update answers your question.

**Guest**, Thank you for your ongoing support it is truly appreciated.

**In order to bring stories to the Richonne fandom, we writers also need your written support too, so please don't forget to leave a review in the box below. Much appreciated thanks. #KeepRichonneAlive**


	8. Chapter 8

**The Exes**

* * *

**The Talk, Part I**

* * *

Later that night, Michonne sat up in bed in the guestroom with her arms folded around her body in a protective manner while Rick sat on the edge of the bed. Her dark skin was bathed in the soft light cast by the lamp to the left of the bed. She was not in the mood to talk but he insisted.

"Babe, I'm sorry about earlier," he added in a contrite manner.

"Would you have told me about it?" She asked hurt.

"What… the fact that I might have another child?... Probably not because until the tests confirm that I fathered that child, it's a very good likelihood it isn't mine… so why bring another problem to the table? I think we have enough on our plate already, don't you?"

"No. The fact that you slept with her. You told me you were helping the woman out, I didn't realize that also meant you were sleeping with her too."

"Are you serious, Michonne? You're jealous of me fucking someone else a month before we hooked up? How do you think I feel about you sleeping with your husband for the past two months?"

"She implied that you were in a relationship, Rick. And for your information, Marcus never came to Savannah nor did we end up going on a safari because he ended up in Mumbai dealing with a work-related problem. So no, I wasn't fucking my husband's brains out for two months while you rot here in Atlanta. He came home this week. I wasn't feeling well so he suggested I see the doctor… and I did."

Her response caused the hurt in his eyes to dissipate and the tension in his body relaxed.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Jessie. I fucked up. The first time happened downstairs, on the anniversary of Lori's death… she came by and I was in a funk and it just kinda happened. The next two times happened across the street… it was a mistake."

"Rick, I'm not saying you can't have sex, but why her?"

"I dunno… I tried the dating thang, Shane even tried to set me up with a few girls but nothing clicked. She was constantly here… I know it sounds lame… I was an asshole, okay? I shouldn't have… but I did. She caught feelings for me. Hell, she even believes that Lori chose her as a replacement wife for me."

"That woman is like a vine… she's looking for a protector and provider. You may think it's crazy but it sounds like Lori wanted you to have what she couldn't give you… It's quite possible she was grooming Jessie for you."

"Well, it's never gonna happen. Now, about this husband of yours…"

"Rick, I'm serious about what I said earlier… I want as little stress as possible."

"How's that possible if that man continues to share the same space as you? I don't trust him around you or my child."

"He won't hurt me, Rick. He's never been violent before. However, it does concern me that he suddenly flipped his stance from not wanting me to carry this child to claiming it. I could be wrong, but I think that's more him refusing to accept and address the fact that this will mark yet another failed marriage."

"Exactly, and when he does… when the switch does flip, what then?"

"Personally, I think he'll come after you first..."

"Me? I don't share a bed with him…"

"Is that what you think? This morning I told him that I'm carrying your child… do you really think we'll be sharing a bed after this?"

"I dunno… will you?"

"I can't believe you… I came to see you right after telling him and against my better judgment, I chose to stay here instead of checking into my hotel. I'm trying, Rick…but it's one thing for Jessie to think that I'm a whore but, you?"

"I never meant it that way, babe. The man's not willing to leave and you're going back there to shack up in a house with him… what am I supposed to say?"

"Perhaps you could tell me that you trust me… and that man has a name, it's Marcus."

"You know I do… I love you, Michonne, but right now that's the only thing I know... apart from the fact you are carrying my child."

The words fell from his lips with uncertainty which caused Michonne's heart to hurt.

"Earlier, you stood with me against Jessie, but will you stand by my side against him? I don't know how you feel or where your head's at in all this."

"Rick, I was the one who stepped out of line in the bar in Savannah. I knew you wanted to kiss me so I kissed you instead. I blew up my marriage with you because I needed you..."

"That was lust, Michonne, but that's not what I'm asking you, is it? I need you to say it..."

"I love you, Rick, and you know that because you know me…"

"But you also love him too... " he added finishing what she didn't say.

"I feel like shit, Rick. It feels like I'm constantly hurting you and now, I've hurt Marcus too. His only fault was that he happened to be standing between the two of us… "

Rick switched positions on the bed and sat next to her with his back against the headboard. He took Michonne's small hand into his and interlaced their fingers together. His large hand wrapped gently around her small dainty hand protectively.

"Babe, I get it... this is a shitty situation to be in ... but it was always going to happen. You're going to have to forgive yourself because right now it's not Marcus who's standing in our way, it's your guilt of what happened from before and again in Savannah and it's not good for you nor our baby. Marcus isn't Ty, he doesn't need saving."

Michonne sniffled and leaned into him. He removed his hand from hers and placed his arm around her holding her close.

"Earlier… when you referred to me as your wife… I know that's important to you… However, you do realize that our child will be born while I'm still married to someone else, so sometime before the birth, I would like you to come up to Alexandria and take a paternity test to ensure that your name appears on the birth certificate. It will nip that problem in the bud."

"I think that's a very good idea… it will take care of that problem for sure."

**….**

"I love you, Rick," she added gently touching his face.

"I love you too, babe." Rick kissed her forehead then her tear-stained cheek.

Michonne turned her head ever so slightly and their lips connected which caused an electric current to course through their bodies. Her breath hitched. His hooded sapphire blues looked back at her. It was the prelude to a soft, slow sensuous kiss which said all the things they could not put into words.

Rick's hands cupped Michonne's face as his tongue explored her mouth tasting the mint of her toothpaste as their tongues collide. Her soft moans filled his ear.

He tasted of scotch. Michonne's hand held onto to the back of his head her dainty fingers traced designs through his phantom curls.

Slowly, his mouth relinquished hers in the pursuit of exploring her entire body, licking, kissing, nibbling and tasting her as every inch of her revealed itself as he discarded her silk pyjamas and thong in a tantalizingly slow ritual. His hands cupped, caressed, teased, squeezed and penetrated her in response to her moans.

Her hands pinned above her head, fingers entwined sapphire eyes locked onto dark brown orbs. Their lips locked in slow deep probing kisses as her legs wrapped around his back, their bodies entwined rocking in the slow rhythmic dance of pleasure until the wee hours of the morning.

**.…**

It was mid-morning, Rick was freshly showered and wearing a white tee-shirt, black jeans and his cowboy boots. He appeared well-rested though he had very little sleep. His current mission was to make breakfast for his baby mama who was still sleeping soundly upstairs.

Rick held the refrigerator door wide open trying to figure out what he could prepare, but it was slim pickings indeed. He had not done groceries because he was leaving town so he would have to go out on a run for food.

He grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and wrote:

_Mornin' Beautiful,_

_Last night was everything I ever hoped it would be._

_If you're reading this, I'll be back shortly just on a run to forage for food to feed you and Jr._

_Love Rick_

Rick was about to leave when her cell phone rang and vibrated across the granite countertop. He didn't want to wake Michonne because she was exhausted. He was about to send the call directly to voicemail but call display said Aaron so he answered it.

"Hi, Aaron."

Aaron stunned at the male voice which did not belong to the old man paused trying to run the possible scenarios in his head before answering. Ordinarily, he usually got a heads up before Michonne made life-altering changes but it seemed this time he was kept out of the loop.

"Rick?'" He asked cautiously but already knowing the answer.

"Yeah. Michonne's sleeping right now but I will pass the message along. By the way, I'm looking forward to drinks with you and Paul on Friday. I truly appreciated you not saying anythang about it, thanks."

"Yeah. Sure, no problem, man. I hope you know what you're doing. She's not going to like it one bit, but it's your bed."

"Don't worry… I'll handle it, Bye."

Before leaving Rick added a PS to his note.

**…**

"Hi, Hon…"

"Seriously, you're calling me, Hon? I don't feel the love… at all."

"Why are you upset with me, Aaron?"

"Perhaps because Paul outdid himself and made a spread that's Instagram worthy and the guests of honour are no shows."

"Oh shit… I'm so sorry, Hon."

"Where the hell are you?"

"Atlanta, but you already know this since you spoke with Rick."

"Do I even wanna know why you're there? Jesus, Michonne what if the old man called or showed up, what the hell am I supposed to say to him? Did you think of that before you decided to take a side trip to the Peach State for a side piece?... I hope you are at least being careful."

"Aaron, he knows… I told him about it and about the other thing... well, the damage was already done in Savannah."

"Are you fucking kidding me? How? No, don't bother... I don't even wanna know... what a fuckin' mess."

"I found out a few days ago… I'm sorry I had to tell them first… but on a positive note, you and Paul are going to be uncles."

"Are you happy, Michonne?"

"I am… you were right, it was always supposed to be Rick."

"Duh! Old man Bouvier told you he would derail your life and he has, his only redeeming quality is that the man is as hot as he is whipped. He's fucked!"

"I'm so glad that you approve…"

Michonne's heightened sense of smell kicked in the moment the front door opened. The mouth-watering aromas of smoky bacon, eggs, toast and coffee made her stomach growl.

"Sweetie… I love you, but I've gotta run, breakfast just arrived and I'm starving."

"I bet…" He added, "Will you need a ride later?"

"Thanks, but no… I'll just call an Uber. See you soon."

Just then, Rick walked into the kitchen with breakfast and placed the food on the countertop. He turned to her and pulled her into his arms.

"Mornin'," she said.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked.

"I slept much better now that I no longer have any secrets."

"Me too. Let's feed you both, huh?"

…**.**

_**Alexandria**_

Later that evening, Michonne stepped off the elevator into the dimly lit living room.

"I see you took your sweet time breaking it to him gently," Marcus added as his wife stepped off the elevator and into the suite.

The voice came from the corner of the room with no light.

"Marcus, please don't start with me. We can talk after I've had time to rest, but in a nutshell, he has no intention of stepping aside and allowing you to raise his child."

"Did you fuck him again?"

"Marcus, why must you be so crude?"

"I have no intention of leaving you so it's gonna get pretty crowded in this marriage."

"Why, Marcus? I know I've hurt you and for that, I'm truly sorry. I was wrong. But why are you doing this? Tomorrow and every day moving forward, I will always be the woman who cheated on you… the woman who's carrying another man's child. This is not who I want to be, Marcus… it's easier for us to end this before it becomes a sideshow."

"Your my wife, Michonne and I expect you to stand by me with everything that's going on right now. You owe me that, you whore."

"There's no need to call me names, Marcus. I'm truly sorry about the investigation, but forcing me to live in this situation is not healthy for me or my unborn child."

"Who the fuck are you right now? What happened to the woman I married? You woke up next to me and went to bed next to him… Bitch, if that does not make you a whore I don't know what does." He added getting up from his ergonomic leather recliner and stepping into the light in the centre of the room.

Instantly, Michonne smelled the scotch on his breath. His was unshaven and his eyes were bloodshot because he had been drinking for some time. He gave off an acrid odour of stale sweat and was in desperate need of a shower.

"The woman you placed on that pedestal has fallen from grace, Marcus. I know you need me but right now, I have someone else who needs me more. I was wrong but I won't accept this abuse. I need to take care of myself... I can't take this stress and I think the best thing for everyone involved is for you to move out… you have until the end of the month to get your things out of here."

"Two nights with him and you're willing to throw away four years just like that? We took a vow, Michonne, for richer or poorer… in sickness and in health until death do us part..."

"Marcus, our marriage is irrevocably broken. I can't undo what I've done nor can I live in the presence of two alphas… It's not a healthy environment for my child. I know you, Marcus… and I'm putting you on notice, this child has never done anything to you… it's innocent. Your beef is with me. I broke our marriage, so whatever you're plotting I ask that you wait until after my child is safely in this world, only then will I be able to address your shit."

"You think that low of me… to think that I would harm an innocent unborn child or a child for that matter?"

"You've done far worse for less. It's the reason why your job is in a precarious situation right now. You sent a perceived threat half-way around the world where he had time to plot his revenge against you."

"But I wasn't wrong, was I? The temptation wasn't in my office at all… the snake was in the Peach State lying in wait in the long grass to slither into another man's garden. Your old man wasn't so crazy after all… he didn't lie, did he? The old man was bang on with his prediction."

"I'm done talking to you, Marcus," Michonne added walking away towards the master bedroom.

**...**

_**Five days later**_

Michonne arrived at the office thirty minutes late for an interview. She had no idea why Morgan needed her to sit in on this particular interview, he was human resources, he had the power to hire and terminate employees at will. Ordinarily, she only sat in on interviews for senior associates who had management potential and she had not greenlighted any such positions.

She dropped her briefcase and purse on the white leather sofa in her office, locked the door and beelined it down the hall to Morgan's corner office which was empty. She then went to the small conference room further down the hall and knocked on the door.

"Come on in."

Michonne opened the door and entered the room, "I apologize for being..." but she didn't finish the apology because looking back at her were not only Morgan's brown eyes but a pair of very familiar cerulean eyes.

"Michonne, this is the lad I've been raving to you about… the one who helped my brother's kid out of a jam of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Richard Grimes, this is Mrs. Bouvier-Madison, the brains behind this firm."

Rick stood up from behind the conference table and extended his hand, "Pleased to meet you, Ma'am," he added shaking her hand with his signature smirk.

"Morgan, may I have the room, please?

"Certainly, Michonne," he answered, "Richard is good people and we're lucky to have him." He added just before closing the door on his way out.

"Rick, what in the hot hell are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Bouvier-Madison, I believe if you were on time you would have been able to participate in the interview, but despite that, you're looking at your newest senior associate."

"We slept together five days ago… you could have mentioned you were moving to Alexandria."

"I told you I was moving… "

"Yeah, but you conveniently left out some rather major details, didn't you? I figured you were moving to get away from your replacement wife."

"I did. Plus, you didn't ask for details, so I gave none."

"Do you think I would have allowed us to go as far we did knowing that it was bound to come back to bite me in the ass?"

"Babe, in all honesty, didn't that happen in Savannah?" He asked cheekily referring to the fact that they not only created a baby but also the fact he actually bit her on the ass cheek which left a bruise. It was a stupid thing to do but she figured he was marking his territory.

"I hate you!"

"That's not what you were saying when I drove you the airport after another sleepless night."

"Really, Rick. Do you think this is funny? What is the plan, do you even have one?"

"This is the safest job in town for me at the moment because Marcus can't leverage you to fire me. Plus, the job comes with a few perks not only do I get a nice bump in salary, but I also get to do the bump and grind with my boss whenever we work late… gotta tell you, I'm really loving my life right now." He added cheekily and winked.

Michonne rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe that all-out war would manifest itself on the horizon so quickly. _How the fuck was she supposed to keep them apart now?_

**….**

Later that evening, Michonne walked into Le Refuge their favourite restaurant twenty minutes late. She was shown to their table where both Aaron and Paul awaited her tardy presence.

Both men stood to welcome her with hugs and kisses. Aaron pulled out her chair for her to sit and kissed his twin's cheek once more.

"Everything okay?" He asked noticing her preoccupied state.

"Yes," she answered in a clipped tone.

Paul who was usually the quieter of the two spoke, "Michonne, you're not okay… why don't we call it a night? You can stay with us."

"Thanks, Paul but I'll be okay. Just a shitty day… it'll pass. I promise."

Paul looked towards his husband, Aaron, but the look escaped Michonne whose mind was elsewhere at the moment.

Michonne wasn't okay. In fact, she wanted to cry. How did she not see it out before? The evidence was right there in front of her but she chose to ignore it. Rick pulling the stunt he did was cute… romantic even... if all the other shit wasn't going down at the same time.

After finding out she was carrying his child, Michonne spent a couple of days contemplating. She came to the conclusion that she would ask him to join her firm after the baby came as a means of having him closer, money wasn't an issue for him and it was a no brainer; she couldn't fold a lucrative practice in DC to start over in Atlanta. Rick had less attachment anywhere it was easier for him to relocate and she knew he would not only because of their child but also because they both still had feelings for one another.

She didn't think he would want to work for her indefinitely nor would she expect him too, it was only a means of resettling himself until he found his footing in what was essentially both hers and Marcus' territory. The back- up plan was Aaron's firm, an alternative place where Marcus could not leverage anyone against him something she had yet to broach with her twin, but she knew he would go along with the plan. She had powerful friends but so did Marcus. Plus, she wasn't about to air their dirty laundry, it wasn't that kind of town. As it was, since Marcus' return, the whispers had already begun circulating regarding the embezzlement scandal.

Marcus would soon become a social pariah, but in this town, loyalties ran deep because it was still an all boy's network. This was a world where friends may distance themselves publicly but it was the backroom deals you had to worry about, somebody always owes somebody something and markers were cashed in on a daily basis, it was the underground currency.

Perception was everything here and Marcus knew that he needed her, so he was hell-bent on saving his own skin. If his powerful wife could stand by him... then it would lessen the stench on him. It was all a game to him until the stench blows over because let's face it affairs happen probably more so in DC than anywhere else. It was the aphrodisiac of power, old money, greed, and seduction, while embarrassing if caught no one would be thrown in jail for it, but embezzlement was a whole different ball game, guilt by association was not an easy thing to shake, so for that reason alone, folks would avoid you like the plague; a dutiful wife, however, could lessen that isolation. It was not the time for her to decide she wanted a divorce or better yet bring home a bastard child.

Michonne felt her world's closing in on her… she was dying to have a drink but of course, she couldn't so she was just thankful to be able to spend a couple of hours with her friends before heading home to a toxic place to hear just how much of a disappointment she had become.

Ordinarily, their get-togethers were fun evenings to chill, gossip and just be themselves but this night was anything but.

After placing her dessert order, Michonne excused herself and went to the ladies room. She returned to the table only to find Marcus had joined them. Friday nights were always her thing with her friends, but there he was sitting back sipping on his scotch and laughing like it was a casual dinner outing with close friends.

As she approached the table, the ever gallant knight, Marcus stood up kissed his wife on the cheek and pulled her chair out for her to be seated.

At the very same moment, the maitre'd escorted Rick to their table. An extra chair from a nearby table was added to the left of Michonne as Aaron moved closer to Paul effectively leaving her between her lover on her left with her husband to her right.

Michonne swallowed hard. She felt ill. She had a sudden urge to flee but instead, she said, "Marcus, this is Richard Grimes."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Thanks to all of you wonderful reviewers, I truly appreciate you taking the time to leave me your thoughts. I enjoy reading them as much as you look forward to an update.

Please feel free to send me a PM at any time

**Timeout7**, I hear you. Messie will always be her ho herself.

**jerkchickenz**, I'm glad you got a few giggles out of it. I concur. Thank you.

**Dejede**, She's got a fairly thick skull.

**RBGzMom**, 'Broke, busted and disgusted', and Rick Vader too, I love it.

**Cleo Griffith**, Thank you. Lol, I always felt that scene was wasted on messie; it should have been a Richonne seen with her returning from an extended run.

**Ringleader1010**, The first talk was the tip of the iceberg.

**viva1215**, Thank you. She pretty much lives up to her name.

**Niquepc**, Well those two are still feeling each other out… it couldn't be all fluffy like nothing ever happened, despite loving one another their nerves are still a bit raw.

**Richonne4Ever**, It was important that Michonne had the last word because she doesn't seem to hear Rick. I wonder why.

**richonnelove1**, Messie thought she held the power, after all, she's got Lori's stamp of approval why would Rick's say matter?

**LovemesumRick**, Thank you for the compliment it is greatly appreciated. Regarding Richonne, they are both protecting their feels for the time being. But Michonne did invite the vampire into the house and Messie took the invitation and ran with it to do as much damage as she could, but it backfired on her arse going into a battle without knowing her enemy. Poor Rick, in his defence, he also knows Michonne well enough to call her on her shit too.

**Yelle Hughes**, Thank you. Lol, Messie does make for good fic fodder.

**Itiswhatitis174**, (6) Roll call, check. Answers to come. (7) I agree. Stay tuned.

**Philly Girl52**, Great assessment of Rick's mess. I cackled reading the messy portion of your review. Regarding the 'wife' he's bold af but he has gone out his way to dismiss Marcus before.

**MJRL**, I hope this update answers some of those questions. Thank you.

**Firefly-class**, He's over the moon with his news.

**Ms. J. Richonne**, No lies detected regarding Rick being whipped. Gotta conserve my words but I'm sure I'm gonna get an earful here too. Damn, I just can't win :)

**gg**, Welcome aboard and I'm happy that you're enjoying this story.

**tvtaughtmehowtofeell**, She didn't have much of an option.

**Mar02**, Thank you. Stayed tuned… it's coming. You're welcome.

**flacagonzales**, I'm happy that you're enjoying this story. I had a good cackle reading this review, so thank you.

**Guest**, Thank you for your ongoing support it is truly appreciated.

_**In order to bring stories to the Richonne fandom, we writers also need your written support, so please don't forget to leave a review in the box below. Much appreciated thanks.**_ _**#KeepRichonneAlive**_


	9. Chapter 9

**The Exes**

* * *

**The Talk, Part II**

* * *

_A/N: sorry for the delay, I had to wait for the Back to School sales as it would seem electronics and water don't play well together._

After the introduction, Marcus near choked on the sip of the liquor he swallowed, he sputtered and a fine mist sprayed the air, some of which landed on Michonne who was seated closest to him. He adapted quickly retrieving a pristine handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed his wife's hand and quickly refold the square piece of monogrammed fabric and replaced it.

He received a stern look for his troubles.

Marcus cleared his throat and replied, "I could have sworn you just said, Grimes."

"As a matter of fact, she did, although I can't exactly say it's been a pleasure..." Rick answered for Michonne.

_And so it begins, _Michonne thought. She felt a major headache coming on.

In response, of course, Marcus puffed out his chest, he being cock number one, this was his town. He opened his mouth to counter, but before he could utter a word, he was reprimanded by his wife.

"Marcus, might I remind you that you're here because you want to be seen not to become the scene."

Marcus leaned in and kept his voice low, "Woman, you have more balls than the four men sitting at this table. I can't believe you have the audacity to be in public with your boyfriend, we're not even separated for Christ sakes."

"If you want to blame someone, blame me… she had no idea I was even in town..." Rick answered.

"Yet here you are…"

"Seems you two have more in common than you'd know… I don't recall it being an invitation for four or five for that matter… this was supposed to be an evening with friends... friends being the operative word, beyond your own needs, did either of you give a damn as to what I might want?"

Marcus started to interrupt, "But..."

"But nothing, Marcus, let's just try to make it through dessert without being featured on Page Six, shall we?" Michonne snapped and finished with a clipped smile.

The next hour was agony for the folks seated at table eighteen. Aaron and Paul tried to engage the others in small talk but to no avail. Finally, the bill came and it was a testosterone match as to who would cover it. Finally, Michonne ended up paying the bill then she got up and walked out of the restaurant without looking back at the four men who seemed to have regressed back to their teenage years.

**…**

Rick escorted Michonne to her vehicle which was parked in a nearby parking lot. But the few minutes it took to walk there felt more like an hour.

During the short walk, neither of them spoke for different reasons because had they done so they both knew it would have ended in a spat so they both retreated to reflect on their words.

Rick didn't want Michonne going back to her home knowing that her idiot husband was there and not only was he still staying there, he was also drunk.

Michonne did not appreciate being blindsided by either of them. They had both used people close to her to obtain details about her life. Rick used Aaron while Marcus used her assistant. As a result, she would definitely be having words with both culprits.

"Thanks for walking with me, this one's mine," Michonne said as she approached the white Mercedes Cabriolet.

Rick gave her a half-smile.

"What?"

"Nothang…"

"It must be something."

"Your choice of vehicle… It's exactly what I imagined."

"But, that's not it, is it?" she added knowing he still had more to say.

"Are we gonna pretend tonight never happened, Michonne?"

"Rick it's late and I'm tired. Tonight was a glimpse of what's to come. Both of you hijacked what was supposed to be my time to chill with my friends. I'm won't tolerate it moving forward."

"I'm sorry, babe. By the way, don't blame Aaron, I kinda muscled myself an invite… "

"You do realize antagonizing Marcus was not a smart move, right?"

"Agreed… but I hadn't anticipated the moron would show up either… I may not know Aaron very well, but I do know he's not team Marcus… but he's most definitely team Michonne..."

"Obviously, nor did Marcus anticipate your presence on what he now considers his 'turf'…," she added air quotes for emphasis. "That said, however, you now have a target on your back. In the next few days, he'll know what you've had for breakfast."

"I'm not afraid of Marcus. Are you sure it's safe… you know... going back there tonight?"

"Yes… Marcus will fall asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. He's a stupid drunk."

"Why is he even still there?"

"Rick, please don't start with me… he has two weeks to get out."

"And if he doesn't?"

"I'm working on things, Rick… I thought I had time, but things became more complicated with your unannounced move."

Rick stared at his feet embarrassed by his behaviour. His hands fisted slightly in his pockets as he felt his body temperature changed causing him to blush.

"I was wrong to exclude you from thangs, but in all fairness, this move was going to happen it was just a matter of when. I was always going to find you… I just needed to be in the right headspace to do so."

"I know…" she added emphatically. "Can I drop you off somewhere?"

"Thanks, but no… I'm going to walk for a bit and clear my head." Rick added then kissed her forehead and held the car door open for her. As soon as, Michonne was settled in he closed the door and tapped gently on the roof.

"Goodnight," Michonne added.

"Call me when you get in."

"I will." She added and drove away trying to make sense of all the signs she missed which could have aborted a crappy night.

Rick, on the other hand, realized the longer he was in her presence, the harder it was for him to let go of her. He knew it wasn't going to be an easy move but at least they were now in the same city, he had to be patient.

**…**

_**Sunday morning…**_

Michonne sleepily answered the annoying phone. "Yes?"

"Good morning, Mrs. Madison, sorry to disturb you, ma'am, it's Dwight from the front desk." the caller added.

"Mornin', Dwight. What is it?"

"Ma'am, we have a Mr. Marquand here to see you…" he paused not sure at all whether announcing a visitor this early was the right thing to do because it was his first day on the day shift. Dwight knew her husband had a temper and was actually quite happy that she answered the call.

"You can send him up, thanks."

**...**

The elevator doors opened and Michonne who had just crawled out of bed dressed in her white silk pyjamas greeted an anxious Aaron dressed in black dress shorts and a blue polo shirt with Birkenstock sandals on his feet to a stern look.

"Aaron, what the hell are you doing here? It's nine o'clock…"

"It is. Why are you still in bed anyway?" he asked surprised by her appearance.

"I was up earlier… puking my guts out, so I'm resting or I was."

"Grab a shower and get dressed! I'm here because I need to make amends… you've been ghosting me. You haven't answered any of my calls or texts."

"What did you expect? You allowed me to walk into a damn ambush…"

"In all fairness, I never disclosed I was meeting you. Plus, your baby daddy showed up an hour earlier than we agreed. And you can't blame me for your old man because you insist on letting him know where you are by syncing your schedules so that's on you. His presence was more than likely a result of the boy's club revoking his damn membership."

"But you knew Rick was moving here and you didn't tell me."

"Not right away... but eventually… I knew he was coming to town for **interviews **which I thought was ballsy on his part… you know coming here knowing that the old man has connections everywhere. Paul, he thought it was romantic, but he would…"

As Aaron spoke he led Michonne back to her bedroom.

"What are you doing?"

"You're going to help me save my marriage, get in the shower… I'll find you something to wear."

"Now, why would I wanna do anything of the kind?" she asked snarkily.

"Because you love Paul and you won't break his heart."

"That's low… even for you," Michonne sniped.

"You love me… you're just pissed but you'll get over it."

"You're lucky to have him…"

"I know… I'm lucky to have you both in my life... you're my family… now, go!" he ordered pointing her towards the master bathroom.

**...**

An hour later, Michonne, Aaron and Paul were seated on their back deck in Arlington overlooking the pool and enjoying a mouthwatering brunch of Belgian waffles with maple syrup, fresh fruit, chocolate sauce, eggs, smoky bacon, sausages, beans, home fries, juice, tea, coffee and mimosas.

"Paul, everything's delicious," Michonne praised after devouring her last morsel of crunchy bacon. "You spoil me so much."

Paul smiled but did not comment so as not upset his fuming husband. He knew Michonne loved his cooking but presently, she was being petty lauding all her attention on him to the exclusion of her twin. He shook his head because he often felt he was babysitting toddlers.

"And I don't," Aaron asked a little jealous at his twin's frosty behaviour towards him.

Michonne glared at him still hurt that he kept a secret from her… one that could have averted a rather awkward situation for everyone.

"So, what are you going to do about the old man? I can guarantee you that he won't just walk away from the life you have together." Aaron asked trying to get a sense of where Michonne's head was at.

"No… not now. Who knows, he might become the next employee who gets hired behind my back." Michonne replied sarcastically.

"Michonne, that's not even funny," Paul added concerned, "Don't they realize this added stress isn't good for you or the baby?"

"You saw them together… acting like two teenagers. They're looking for a showdown and neither will listen to reason."

"Seriously, Michonne, what's next?" Aaron asked.

"I met with Philip on Friday afternoon. I'm waiting to hear back from him."

"To what end?" Aaron asked.

"Philip Blake, as in the President of CJS?" Paul asked surprised.

"The one and only."

"Damn, girl, go big or go home," Paul added impressed.

Michonne smiled at Paul's fangirling.

"He has to leave, Aaron and if Philip plays along, the narrative will be much nicer than if I am forced to push Marcus away."

"But will Marcus be willing to go along with the plan? He knows what it would mean…it's abandonment."

"It's the only way I can file proceedings without waiting the full year, adultery is not grounds for divorce."

"But as your husband, doesn't he have a claim to your child?" Paul asked curiously.

"Yes, he does but its merely a stall tactic on his behalf which would easily be dispelled."

"Yeah, once the child is born, right?"

"No. The test can actually be done now. Rick will be taking a DNA test to ensure that his name will be on the birth certificate quashing any claim Marcus may raise later."

Paul shook his head adding, "Girl, I don't envy you one bit."

"Let's face it, Marcus is done in this town, at least for now. The sad part is, none of it was his fault. He saw none of the money and the culprits have vanished. He was always going to be the fall guy but I'm hoping Philip sees it my way and we could come to a mutual understanding."

"He had that much ammo?" Paul asked.

"He's a lawyer so he saw patterns so he recorded everything, but he never told me about it… I only stumbled onto it because he was drunk and fell asleep in his office with the safe open and the file on his desk."

"Sounds like he knew something was coming."

"Yeah, but he was too late," Michonne added.

"Seems to sum up his life, doesn't?"

"Omg, Aaron must you go there?" Michonne added. "I know I'm a bitch, there's no need to remind me of it. I am trying to do right by him."

"Sweetie, it was never my intention to reprimand you. This thing between you and Mr. Hotlanta is a force of its own, neither of you could stop it."

"Michonne, I think it's commendable that you're trying to help Marcus even though his behaviour of late doesn't warrant it… If only he knew, that you had his back..." Paul added.

"That's the problem with Marcus, his ego is bruised right now. I'm also the enemy… and as such, I can't possibly have his back because I betrayed him."

"But… you're making deals that'll cost you long term… Philip may be a good businessman… but I would be wary of him… the rumours all say he's ruthless."

"I know, Paul, but Philip doesn't scare me. I can't stand by and let them railroad Marcus for something he didn't do," Michonne explained. "Unfortunately, I can't make Marcus understand that I still care about him, I just can't be with him..."

"And his ego won't allow him to accept help from the woman who no longer wants to be his wife ... sad, indeed. But you're still helping him."

"Yeah, something like that. Rick says it's my guilt and he's right…"

"The sooner he's out of the picture... the better for everyone involved," Aaron stated in a surly manner and continued to sip his Mimosa.

"Aaron," Paul gasped with horror at his husband's callousness.

"What? She doesn't need the stress… you said so yourself".

…

_**Later that evening...**_

"Hey," Michonne said blushing as Rick opened the door in what was fast becoming her favourite state of his undress… shirtless and wet.

Rick opened the door further to allow her entry.

"Hey," he answered, surprised to find Michonne on his doorstep but happy all the same.

"I was out with the boys…" she gave as a way of an explanation as to how she knew where to find him. "I came bearing gifts…. I bought you a house warming gift," she added offering him the small cacti plant. Her choice was a safe one, not knowing whether or not he had a knack for caring for plants.

"Thank you, " he replied, taking the plant from her and placing it on the nearby table just inside the entryway. "You said gifts… so what's in the bag?" he asked with a playful smile to match hers.

"That's for sharing… your baby wants this," Michonne teased as she held the bag away from him.

"Does Junior really want that or does his mama?"

"That's the second time you've referred to our baby as Junior. Are you tryin' to tell me something? What if we're having a girl?"

Rick extends his arm to capture the elusive bag and its contents with great care. His free arm encircled her tiny waist and brought her closer to him as his cerulean blues captured her warm dark brown eyes and silently communicated with her. After a moment in their silent embrace, he added, "It doesn't matter as long as you're both healthy and for that, I promise, no more knucklehead moves on my part… from now on, we need to be on the same page."

"I agree. And you need to stay away from Marcus."

"I won't actively seek him out, but it's a small town… our paths are bound to cross again."

"And when it does, I'm counting on you to be the bigger man in all of this… you have everything. His life is in shambles. You're going to have to walk away, it won't be easy. Can you do that for me… for us?" She asked, taking his arm from around her waist and placing it over stomach her eyes pleading with him to say the right thing.

"I can and I will," he replied and kissed her forehead to reassure her.

"Good. Now, let's have dessert."

"I couldn't agree more," he moistened his bottom lip and gave her a searing look, which said their ideas of dessert was not at all the same thing.

The look caused Michonne's mouth to become parched and she bit her bottom lip in anticipation.

Rick quickly disentangled himself from her long enough to remove the box from the bag and placed it in the fridge, scooped up a giggling Michonne into his arms and carried her off to his bedroom.

"Someone's hungry…" she giggled.

"It's been a week."

**…**

_**Monday morning...**_

"Michonne stirred slow. It wasn't her bed… but she knew his scent... their scent. She had fallen asleep and spent the night.

After her morning ritual of hugging the toilet, she took a shower and got dressed.

Michonne walked into the kitchen where Rick was busy making breakfast.

"Hey, what time is it?"

Looking at his watch, he replied, "Just about seven o'clock".

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"You were exhausted and you need to rest."

"Shit… I have to get home."

"Don't you have something you can change into at the office?"

"I do, but I need my car."

"You can ride with me."

"Babe, I can but it's not wise. I don't want to be advertising our relationship at work… I'm sure Morgan's already told you that you'd be reporting directly to him."

"Yeah. He had me over for dinner Saturday night, plus, he also told me not so subtly that you're the daughter he never had."

Michonne smiled knowing that she could always count on Morgan to have her back. Morgan had figured out there was something between them from their initial meeting and as such, she remained behind that evening to read him in on it.

"Good, so you understand what's expected of you in the workplace. Morgan does the hiring and firing so you better be on his good side."

"Can't say that I'm not disappointed about the possibility of a late-night rump or two with the boss lady," he teased with a lopsided grin passing her a cup of Earl Grey tea.

"Thanks," Michonne said taking the proffered cup of tea and added, "You're not fairing too badly."

**…**

_**Late Wednesday afternoon...**_

Marcus' world was turned upside down because it seemed overnight his wife had turned into a stranger. Since her return from Atlanta, they had become roommates. On Friday night, she was caught having drinks openly with her lover. Sunday, when he woke up he assumed Michonne had been at home because her vehicle was parked outdoors, something he noticed from his bedroom window, it was unusual for her to do so, but it sometimes happen.

He later discovered she was not at home when he returned from the gym. In the absence of their weekend routine, he returned to the gym, it was his way of dealing with his frustration.

Only then did he realize her vehicle was in the same spot, arriving upstairs he checked in on her but found the four-poster bed unmade. Michonne had not returned that night nor did she call and there was nothing in his calendar as to her whereabouts. It drove him to the brink of madness. _How could she just walk away from what they've built over four years?_ He was the first to admit he acted like a royal ass, but he somehow would like to believe had he been the unfaithful one, that Michonne would be more than justified in losing her shit too, especially with an affair that came out of the blue. It wasn't as if their marriage was rocky and there were cracks…. they were happy or so he thought… he couldn't be accused of not being present in this marriage because he went out of his way to not repeat his past mistakes. They had made plans for a future together, but all of a sudden that future was tenuous at best.

**...**

In the past, Michonne's friends, Aaron and Paul would pop by and whisk her off to an impromptu brunch, a night out on the town even a weekend antiquing trip somewhere, then he knew she was his but his conviction was no longer certain. He's never had to deal with Michonne's divided feelings before nor a man who openly wanted what was his. The fucker had relocated and if he was being honest, Michonne wasn't even aware of his agenda.

At present, even though Marcus was not certain of much in his life, but he was certain of one thing, the blue-eyed Casanova would never work a day in his town, his ass was going back to his Atlanta baby mama with his tail tuck between his legs. _Who the fuck skips out on his pregnant girl-friend to chase another man's pregnant wife?_ It was n_o doubt a convenient detail he forgot to mention to Michonne. _

**_..._**

After the meeting he had with Philip, Marcus knew Michonne still had feelings for him. She had placed neck on the line for him, everything wasn't as dark as it seemed, it was comforting because he wasn't about to walk away from what they had built together. His wife had an innate sense of responsibility towards those she loved it was her one flaw that he could not protect her from. It was the reason why she stayed with her ex-husband for as long as she had because she couldn't bring herself to leave him after he was injured.

Marcus often warned Michonne others would use that flaw against her and it seems that Philip discovered it and planned to exploit it.

Marcus wanted to kill Philip. The man was a collector of rare beautiful objects… until recently, however, Philip had never been anything but professional towards him, but in the past hour, Philip was less than subtle when he stated that Michonne supported the idea of his transfer to the London office and he, Philip, would be more than happy to look out for his wife during his absence. _What the fuck was happening? It was as if something was in the water and it was causing rational men to lose their fucking minds._

Had the suggestion had come from another man, he would be facing charges for voluntary manslaughter. In the current scenario, however, Marcus had to be careful, not only was there an ongoing investigation for a crime he did not commit, hurting Philip now would only lend credence to a witch hunt.

Marcus hadn't been forthright with his wife. They were things which he kept from her to protect her from any blowback. It was his storm to weather and he would shield her from it but somehow, Philip had dragged her into the vortex of the storm something Marcus swore the fucking bastard would pay later.

Michonne hadn't talked to him about Philip. She no doubt felt she could smooth things over, but she didn't know Philip the way he did. What pissed him off was Philip's presumptuousness to contact his wife to talk to her about his career.

Marcus left his office on a mission to convince his wife that things would work themselves out, they just had to be patient.

**...**

Thirty minutes later, Marcus walked into Bouvier & Associates reception area with an extravagant bouquet of flowers as the last of the administrative staff trickled out of the office at the end of business hours.

Marcus turned right heading towards his wife's corner office. He knocked gently on the door of Michonne's office but didn't wait for an answer before turning the knob and opened the door to let himself in.

Michonne was at her desk rereading a recent decision on one of her cases. Her client had been advised of the outcome and the next steps; they had to digest what it would mean for them and get back to her.

The gentle knock on the door caused her to look up. She was expecting to see Morgan but was surprised to see her husband closing the door behind him. In one hand, he held an elegant bouquet of flowers, the fragrance of which had begun to diffuse throughout the enclosed space.

Michonne removed her black-framed glasses and placed them on the abandoned document. She discreetly assessed her husband's mood. He seemed truly remorseful, it broke her heart to be in the position she was. She hated that she hurt him. They were broken and no amount of therapy could ever fix them. The best she could hope for was that they would be able to settle their differences in a civil manner.

"Marcus, what are you doing here?" She asked perplexed.

"Sweetheart, I've been an ass… can you please forgive me?"

"Marcus, we can't take back the things we've done this past week. Our past actions have far-reaching consequences and I'm trying to take responsibility for mine… I suggest you do the same."

"You're right. I had no right speaking to you the way I did. I was hurt and angry… I lashed out at you. There's no excuse for my behaviour and for that, I am truly sorry."

"It's over and done… I suggest we both move forward."

Marcus nods his head at his wife's response though not quite certain whether they were still talking about his behaviour or their marriage.

"I'm confused."

"Confused about what?" Michonne asked gently.

"When did Philip contact you?"

At that moment she knew the private conversation she had to broker a deal with Philip had just gone to shit. Philip did not uphold his end of the deal. '_The man was a fuckin snake_'.

"I spoke with Philip on Friday afternoon. Why?"

"Why?" He asked puzzled.

"What do you think, Marcus?"

"I don't recall retaining your services."

"It wasn't like that, Marcus. Sure, your name came up but it wasn't in any official capacity because I'm not officially representing you."

"Oh? So in what capacity were you there?"

"What I did or didn't do... suffice it to say… I did it for **you**."

"You were calling in a marker, weren't you? What exactly did you do?"

"It's obvious they needed a fall guy. I wasn't going to allow them to bury you."

Marcus didn't like her response. How the hell would she know about the details he discussed with Philip, was she in cohorts with him as well? He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. He didn't know who to trust because it seemed as though he was constantly playing catch-up.

Suddenly, the flowers he held in his hand became heavy and they went sailing through the air in the direction of the leather sofa, the stalks broke on impact and the petals littered both the sofa and the floor.

He placed both hands on her desk leaned forward and glowered at her suspiciously.

"Really? And just what did your little visit with Philip cost you, Michonne? We both know Philip Blake, don't we? He's the _Teflon Man_ that's why he pays me as well as he does." His voice boomed throughout the room and fragmented the stillness which was a direct result due to the lack of the ordinary office din.

Michonne stood from behind her desk "Marcus, I know you're angry but..."

"I would never offer you to him to save my own skin. You're my wife, damn it. Michonne… I may be a bastard but some lines I wouldn't cross and that's one of them… I don't send my wife to fight my battles. You're mine!"

"I don't know what you think I may have done, but I can assure you... I haven't compromised myself in any way. And please stop saying I'm yours… I m not a possession," Michonne countered pissed at his insinuation.

"I know Philip Blake and his reputation… "

"That may be so, but it was strictly a business deal, one that was never supposed to have my name attached to it. I think Philip did that to piss you off and from the looks of things he succeeded. I was only trying to help."

"Transferring to London… is that your definition of helping?"

"It's a better alternative… why is it so hard for you to accept help from me? If I was in trouble, you would do the same for me."

"That's my job, Michonne… I'm supposed to _pro-te_..." His words died at the sudden realization of what was unfolding.

"You'll still have a career, Marcus…"

"And what about my wife?"

"Marcus, once the dust settles… you'll agree that this is the best outcome for all involved."

"You're so thoughtful…" Marcus mocked as his hand swept across her desk sending the scales of Justice to the floor with a crashing bang. "No, I don't imagine I will, but I can guarantee you he'll never work a day in this town."

"Marcus, I tried protecting you from both Philip and Richard, but don't ever mistake my compassion as a sign of weakness. If you ever come after him, I will end you before he does… we're done. I think it's time you leave."

"Ironic isn't, he knocks you up and uproots himself to chase you across the country but he leaves his pregnant girlfriend and her kids behind to fend for themselves."

Michonne did not react to her husband's last statement. It simply confirmed her suspicions as to his whereabouts for the past few days.

**...**

It was a little past six o'clock and the office was much quieter now that the phones were no longer ringing off the hook. There was no longer the buzzing of office chatter nor the humming of the machines. As a result, Morgan and Rick heard the muffled voices and crashing sound down the hall.

Rick was the first out the door followed closely by Morgan. Upon reaching Michonne's office he opened the door, grabbed and spun Marcus around smashing his face into the open door. A definitive crunching sound could be heard on impact.

The events happened so fast by the time Marcus' brain recognized Rick's face it was forced to reject it to deal with the excruciating pain resulting from his broken nose. The blood trickled down his face and the copper taste was the last thing that registered before his legs buckled and he fell to the ground.

"Rick, get Michonne out of here," Morgan instructed. "Now!" He added more forcefully as it seemed Rick had not registered what he said because he was busy checking that Michonne was okay.

"I'm fine. He didn't touch me," she added to reassure him.

"Fine, grab your thangs... we'll swing by your place and you're going to pack your bags because you're staying with me until such time he moves out and the locks are changed…" Rick stated in an authoritative voice which left no room for argument.

As the two walked down the hall, a few other associates came out to see what the commotion was all about. Morgan advised it was all a misunderstanding… nothing to see, at which point, some called it a night and left while a few others returned to their office.

Morgan, on the other hand, waited for the EMT's to arrive to treat the patient.. before leaving the office.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Thanks to all of you wonderful reviewers, I truly appreciate you taking the time to leave me your thoughts. I enjoy reading them as much as you look forward to an update.

Please feel free to send me a PM at any time

**Flacagonzales**, Thank you and you're welcome. I hear you girl.

**Yelle Hughes**, Yeah, our boy had a plan… a good plan. Thank you.

**Jerkchickenz**, Lol. Marcus is playing his game.

**courtgirl26**, Lol. I agree Marcus is out of his league.

**Dejede**, Michonne's the circus master, so we're good.

**Liberiangirl85**, Welcome onboard the rollercoaster. I trust you'll enjoy the update.

**Cleo Griffith**, Lol. A forwarding address, really? Are you rooting for Messie?

**Grimesallday**, Thank you. The boys needed a time out. Lol.

**Ringleader1010**, Messy indeed. Thank you.

**MJRL**, Thank you. I hope you enjoy this update.

**DramionEverlarkPeetatoRichonne, **I'm a Richonner, the ride may be bumpy, but the destination is certain.

**atm0000**, I agree, we have to be responsible for our own actions. We are masters of our own destiny. However, if we relinquish our power, that's on us. These two are jealous, that's it.

**viva1215**, You said. I hope you like this update.

**Saddie529**, I love the gif idea. Thank you.

**Ms. J. Richonne**, Lol. Marcus is Xtra. You're welcome.

**richonnelove1**, Lol. Clean up on aisle 5.

**LovemesumRick**, Girl, I'm glad that you're enjoying the rollercoaster ride. I love reading your reviews because they make me chuckle.

**Niquepc**, I hope you enjoy this round.

**Mar02**, Thank you. Rick wasn't thinking... he was being led. Marcus is a mess. Those updates made up for the downtime. But I've got a new laptop so, I'm back.

**Aren33**, Lol. Sorry about the cliffhanger, not. Lol. I couldn't have them break into an all-out brawl just then.

**Itiswhatitis174**, I hope this update doesn't disappoint.

**Richonne4Ever**, They needed a lil light-heartedness, especially after the Marcus drama.

**Firefly-class**, I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

**gg**, Sorry for the delay. I hope you enjoy the update.

**minton131**, Lol.

**Richonne4Life**, Your reviews made me laugh. Thank you. Jessie's Xtra.

**ShunnieIsFine**, Thank you! Lol.

**Fortylove**, Amen.

**Lovelyshmi**, Jessie makes for great fanfic material. Poor Marcus' pride. Rick knows the score and he knows his woman.

**grimes1970**, I hear you.

**Bwy5, **Lol. Yes, our babies need to communicate more.

**Guest**, Thank you for your ongoing support it is truly appreciated.

**Kamille King**, Thank you for your one review eight chapters later, but this is my fic, if you don't like it, write your own. You're the second person who has voiced their dissatisfaction with this fic but I'mma gonna keep on keeping on. Please feel free to read the reviews below from loyal reviewers. BTW, I do respect the fact that you've put your name to this rather than come at me as an Anon.

Another thing, I don't like the 'N' word in any form and Black people using it only helps propagate that toxic shit. It does not desensitize the racial slur. I was born in the Caribbean so I never heard that word until I came to North America, it's not part of my upbringing. But having heard it and knowing the meaning behind it, I find it is a despicable word even more so than the term 'baby mama' was not meant to be the ghetto reference found in rap music/videos as they degrade women. In this story, however, Michonne is Rick's baby mama because she's not married to the father of her unborn child. That said, you made no comment whatsoever about Marcus' behaviour towards Michonne, so am I to believe that he gets a pass for calling her a "bitch" and a "whore"?

**_In order to bring stories to the Richonne fandom, we writers also need your written support, so please don't forget to leave a review in the box below. Much appreciated thanks._ _#KeepRichonneAlive_**


	10. Chapter 10

**The Exes**

* * *

**The Talk, Part III**

* * *

The room itself was quite spacious, It wasn't her first time there, but it was the first time Michonne took in her surroundings. The room was painted in a soft grey with white trimming. The furnishings were basic on the minimalist side of things. On the wall was a series of black and white photographs of the city as it changed over the years. They were unlike any other photographs she had seen of the city before, which led her to believe the owner was either a photographer or a history buff.

She tried hard to focus more on the room itself, but try as she might she could not appreciate the calmness of it because her adrenaline was still high. She tried hard not to think about the events which occurred earlier that evening, but it was like asking herself not to breathe.

It was clear that Philip underestimated her. He called her bluff and blew what could have been a simple solution to hell. Now, they were ensnared in a damn sideshow.

Rick had been in the adjoining bathroom for some time now and she wondered whether or not he was trying to avoid her. They needed to talk; so much had happened in one afternoon, she had a hard time trying to follow the sequence of events herself.

Michonne knew exactly how their conversation would play out.

She heard the soft sound of his feet on the hardwood floor which cause her to look up.

Rick walked out of the bathroom into the softly lit room and over to the dresser wearing only his pyjama bottoms. He retrieved a white cotton tee from his drawer, but as he pulled it on over his head their eyes met in the mirror.

"I love you," he added pulling his tee-shirt down and proceeded to gather his watch and phone to take with him into the next room.

"I love you too."

Michonne was sitting up in bed waiting for him to join her but suddenly realized his actions meant he had no intention of sleeping in the room with her.

"Where are you going?" She asked as she got out of bed and walked towards him.

His eyes were sad and her heart was heavy because she knew she was the cause of it. She created the whole shit storm that rained down on them.

He stood rooted to his spot on the floor like an actor on its mark waiting for an exchange of dialogue. But when none came, he spoke, "Babe, it's late… it's been an eventful day and you need to rest. We can talk about this later."

Her right hand found its way to him and covered his heart. Her left hand gently framed his face. Her warm dark brown eyes seized his cerulean blues, neither spoke, but it was understood in their secret code they were both hurting.

_He feared his actions went too far._

Her shock had since worn off allowing her to feel the fear she couldn't in the midst of Marcus' meltdown earlier that evening. She was too close to see the obvious. She ought to have known better. Marcus was spiralling out of control and fast. She misjudged his ability to handle the stress of the situation.

"I couldn't see…" she started but words were choked off by her emotions.

"I'm sorry," he added pulling her close to him which caused him to feel the tiny tremors in her body.

"You don't have to apologize, you did nothing wrong… you were protecting us."

Rick swallowed hard grateful that he had made it to her office as quickly as he had.

"Morgan called earlier, he'll be okay… he sustained a broken nose and a mild concussion."

"How about you, Rick, are you okay?"

"I'm okay because you're okay."

"You were right. I tried, but I couldn't save him."

Rick returned the items he held in his hand to the top of the bureau and guided Michonne back to bed. He waited for her to sit down then he sat down next to her.

"It was never about being right. I didn't want you to go through the drama, especially not in your condition. My appearance here didn't help thangs, but I think the situation would still have ended up here regardless. I'm happy I was here though because somethang set him off today."

"I know, but I didn't expect this. I don't know the man who went off the deep end in my office… Marcus was always so calm and rational… a bit jealous, but no more than you. But this… this was something else."

"After meeting him, I knew it was only a matter of time before he snapped. He's not a bad guy, I think the pressure from the investigation and finding out the perfect world he constructed wasn't as solid as he thought was just too much for him… for anyone, really. His world literally collapsed around him, like a flimsy house of cards." Rick explained in a mournful tone while lacing his fingers through hers noticing for the first time the absence of the diamond wedding band and the delicate tan line it left behind.

His tone surprised Michonne, so much so, that she looked up to capture his eyes. In them, she saw compassion for the man he was hell-bent to best only two months before. It was one of the reasons why she loved him so much because he was able to rein in the beast, step back and recognize a rival as another human being. However, she was under no delusion, whatsoever, because the very same man would do whatever was necessary to protect her and their unborn child should Marcus continue to be an obstacle in their lives. Her man was most definitely a conundrum.

"The plan would have worked had Philip not goaded him by using my name," Michonne added absentmindedly.

"What plan?"

"It's late and I'm exhausted, can we park this for tomorrow? Michonne added suddenly fatigued by the entire affair and began adjusting herself in a reclining position.

"I'll add it to the list of thangs we've got to do tomorrow."

"We have a list?" she asked rather curious with a raised brow.

"We do, but right now you need to rest." He added pulling the duvet over her and preparing to leave the room once more.

"You're not sleeping with me?"

"Baby, you need to rest."

"You don't trust yourself to sleep next to me?" Michonne asked batting her eyelashes over innocent doe eyes.

Rick gave her a lopsided grin, "Babe, is not me that I'm worried about… I don't trust you."

"Ouch," Michonne clutched her heart as if in pain, "that truly hurts."

"Good night, babe."

"I could have stayed at a hotel…"

"Yeah. But you wouldn't be getting service like this now, would you?" he added.

"Touché!" she replied as he kissed her forehead. "What would we do without you?"

"It's a good thing you won't have to worry about that because I'm here to take care of both of you. I love you."

"I love you too."

"Rest. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight."

**…**

_**The next morning...**_

The silence was broken by a ringing phone. It was Michonne's personal cell phone, which Rick retrieved and glanced at the call display but reconsidered his initial decision to send the call directly to voicemail. Instead, he roused his sleeping girlfriend who had snuck into his bed when the storm broke out overnight. He couldn't chance making the wrong decision because the call might be important.

Rick no sooner gave the phone to Michonne when his phone started ringing. He grabbed it from the nightstand, rejected the call, pulled on his pj bottoms and tiptoed out of the room allowing Michonne some privacy to take her call and giving himself time to return his call.

Instinctively, he knew the calls coinciding the way they had meant that shit was about to hit the proverbial fan. Morgan was calling him and he had a very bad feeling that he wasn't about to like what he was going to say.

Moments later, after he ground the coffee beans and placed them in the filter, filled the machine with water, and started the coffee maker, he dialled Morgan's number.

"You hung up on me. What the hell was that about?"

"Why do I have a feeling that you already know the answer to that question?"

"Yeah," Morgan sighed sounding exhausted as though he'd already worked a full day, but it was only 8:30 in the morning. What the hell do you want me to do with them?"

"They're here?" Rick asked surprised.

"Yeah, they went by the penthouse and were told no one was at home. Plus, Marcus is not answering his phone."

Rick groaned and cursed under his breath pinching the bridge of his nose as he paced barefoot on the cool ceramic tiles of the kitchen floor.

"They're worried about their daughter. Can you believe he contacted them two days ago? Apparently, he didn't remember they were on vacation… something they do like clockwork the same time every year."

"What the hell's wrong with him?" Rick groaned.

"He's a drowning man, Richard… and a drowning man is likely to drown the very person who tries to help him. What we're seeing is the tip of the iceberg… we don't know what lies beneath the facade."

"I guess,... But her father's presence here changes nothing, Morgan and the sooner Marcus accepts the fact that I am not going anywhere, the easier it will be for everyone." He added pinching the bridge of his nose to calm the anger which was beginning to take hold of him.

"I understand, son. But you have to remember Marcus is no longer a rational man. That said, however, her folks being here is actually better for you."

"How do you figure that?"

"For starters, you two need some distance to keep this thing as clean as possible. I mean… less messy… that is. Michonne living with you before she files for divorce can only get really ugly both personally and professionally. When I told you I run a tight ship that includes making sure the boss stays clear of things that could potentially affect her brand."

Rick listened to Morgan's words and the underlying message as he watched the clear water turned into coffee. He liked his coffee the old fashioned way The place came with a fancy coffee machine, the kind that makes the flavoured coffee where all you needed to do was select the flavour to suit your fancy, plop it into the machine and push a button. He hated that shit, so he bought a percolator instead because he liked being a part of the process. He inhaled the rich aromatic scent as the water hit the grounds turning it into a rich dark liquid that calmed his nerves until such time the hot liquid could do the same.

He knew Morgan was right. He took a mug from the cupboard and filled it with the rich dark liquid and sipped it savouring the rich chocolate, black currant with floral notes and hints of citrus.

"Richard?"

"I'm here," he replied. "You're right, but who says they'll stick around once everything is in the open?"

"I know old man Bouvier, he's fiercely protective of that daughter of his, as am I, but I don't need to tell you that, do I?"

Rick chuckled, "I guess not."

"The way I figure it, he'll handle Marcus if need be…. That way your hands remain clean. Last night you came to her defence and a number of people have attested to the raised voices and a sudden crash. You might not be so lucky the next time around. Do you understand?"

"Yeah."

**...**

Meanwhile, in the bedroom down the hall, a groggy Michonne took her call. "Hello?"

"Dear God, child are you alright?"

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Michonne pulls the sheets about her nakedness, "Mom? Did something happen? Is dad okay?"

"We're fine, dear. How about you?"

"I'm fine, Mom. But if you're both okay, why are you calling? Aren't you two supposed to be on the Danube River somewhere in Europe right now?"

"We were until we got word from Marcus that the stress was getting to you and he was worried you weren't yourself, so Dad and I got off at the next stop and tried to get back home as quickly as we could."

"When you say home, Mom, where exactly are you?"

"Alexandria, dear. Where else would we be?"

"You're here? In Alexandria?" Michonne asked not quite sure she had heard her mother correctly while secretly cursing herself… _of course,_ _they would be_, she thought because Marcus had called in his reinforcements.

"Darling, are you sure everything is okay?"

"Yes, mother. Everything is fine."

"Then, if you're fine, where are you? You're not at home and you most definitely aren't here at the office."

"Shit," Michonne expelled under her breath because she walked into that one with her eyes wide open. Her mother was cunning.

"Darling?"

"Mom, I'll be there as soon as I can. In the meantime, I'll have my assistant let you into my office. Love you!" She added and hung up before her mother could continue her third degree. She took the time to shoot Cyndie a text with instructions to let them into her office and order them some breakfast.

**…**

Ten minutes later, both Michonne and Rick found themselves in the center of his bedroom both having recently showered in separate bathrooms but converged in his room in search of clothes to wear. Rick had just finished snapping the last snap on his denim shirt and was about to tuck them in his jeans.

Michonne had a cropped sweater on, at the moment she was lying on the bed trying hard to will her jeans to corporate. "I take it Morgan filled you in on the new arrivals," Michonne added while trying to squeeze herself into her skin tight jeans.

Rick noticed the valiant effort Michonne was making but said nothing. Ordinarily he was a fan of her tight jeans, on this day, however, he was secretly delighted as to what her struggles meant… but he wasn't daft enough to breathe a word to his beautiful girlfriend. The proud papa to be was more than ready to add a change of wardrobe to their ever-growing list of things to do.

But for the moment, being the intuitive boyfriend he was, he answered, "He did. How are you feeling? You must be exhausted."

"We didn't sleep much last night, so I was hoping to sleep in if our little peanut allowed it.

"Is that getting any better? I mean the nausea."

"It all depends on the day but it's not as bad as it used to be. Oh, snap!" Michonne exclaimed.

"What is it?" Rick asked innocently.

"My zipper snapped… seems I'm going to need a change of wardrobe," she laid still frustrated from her efforts. Can I borrow your denim shirt I'll have to wear it over my jeggings.

Without saying a word, he removed one of his favourite pieces of clothing and passed it to her and reached into his closet for another shirt with a small smile on his lips.

"Are you okay? Michonne inquired remarking that he had been rather quiet… pensive almost.

"Well, this is not exactly how I wanted your parents to find out about us, but..." he began and ended as though trying to solve an unseen problem.

"Nor I. That said, however, we have to face the music. We're not seventeen years old anymore... then, I faced them alone, today we'll do it together," she added reaching for his hand and entwining her fingers around his.

"Ready?" he asked nervously.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," she teased.

**...**

Thirty minutes later, Michonne walked into her spacious corner office to find her parents, Morgan and a surprise guest sitting at the small conference table engrossed in a conversation about their travels.

"Oh, dear God!" Simone Bouvier said as her eyes took in the sight of her daughter and her former boyfriend. _It all made perfect sense,_ she thought.

Maxim Bouvier and Marcus whose backs were to the door turned to see the reason for his wife's bizarre reaction. The moment he saw his daughter walk into the room followed by the blue-eyed Devil, it explained everything. The blue-eyed Devil was the reason why he and his wife were sitting in his daughter's office instead of cruising down the Danube River.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

This update took a while because of my schedule and also because of a troll from another of my stories. It took a while to get back in a Richonne mindset.

Please feel free to send me a PM at any time.

**thatdamnpebbles**, Lol. Thank you. Yes, I will be continuing my other fics.

**Grimes1970**, the board has been set and players will play.

**Philly Girl52,** Rick's not perfect, but you see their situation for what it is.

**Firefly-class**, I totally agree with you.

**Michefan**, Thank you. There's a clear escalation in Marcus's behaviour and she notices that.

**LovemesumRick**, He'll have to go through Rick now.

**Cleo Griffith**, You're welcome girl. Thank you for the compliment. He got a beatdown in less than one week in town.

**Viva1215**, Marcus deserves it.

**gg**, Thank you. Michonne's the boss lady for a reason. You're welcome.

**Richonne4Life**, Keep calm. Keep your earings and shoes on. Lol.

**Mykith**, Thank you so much for addressing that review. Some people just don't get it that it takes a lot of courage to write and post one's work. Then, there's the other extreme… the takers - Richonne will die because of silent readers.

**JujusPetals**, Thank you. Welcome aboard. I'm happy you're enjoying the story.

**Itiswhatitis174**, pressure reveals a lot about a person.

**Richonnelove1**, Michonne is trying to protect everyone but she needs protecting now. Thank you!

**Yelle Hughes,** Thanks, Yelle. I love your work too. They were kids behaving badly.

**Courtgirl26**, Yup. Pretty much.

**Lavender73**, Welcome aboard this wild ride. But be careful what you wish for.

**Lovelyshmi**, Rick considered Marcus an obstacle and the latter proved him right.

**tvtaughtmehowtofeell**, Marcus fell as a direct result of Rick slamming him into the door.

**MJRL**, You're such a good person.

**Aren33**, ikr.

**Atm0000**, The two clowns don't get it.

**Mar02**, Lol. Bodyguard on duty.

**Bwy5**, Marcus is a mess.

**Soren Taline, Kokoleeks, flacagonzales, Symone0939,** **ShunnieIsFine**, and **Guest** Thank you!

In order to bring stories to the Richonne fandom, we writers also need your written support, so please don't forget to leave a review in the box below. Much appreciated thanks. **#KeepRichonneAlive**


	11. Chapter 11

**The Exes**

* * *

**AN:** Since my last update, the world has changed. Please be mindful to social distance whenever possible; wear a mask to protect yourselves and others. Covid-19 does not discriminate—it's the great leveller, whether rich or poor, young or old, Covid-19 will get you. That said, however, we know the virus affects Blacks more so than others, so protect yourselves. Remember, you have no rights if you're dead. #StaySafe

* * *

**The Talk, Part IV**

* * *

The lively conversation in the room suddenly ceased and all eyes turned towards the couple who entered the room. The atmosphere remained pregnant with anticipation as both Marcus and Morgan waited with bated breath to see what came next.

Rick and Michonne stood a foot apart but together to the side of her parents. They prepared themselves mentally for the inspection by the visiting royalty.

The stillness in the room palpable as the distinguished dark-skinned, bald-headed bespectacled gentleman with the salt and pepper goatee observed the couple. After what seemed like an eternity, but no more than a few minutes in actual time, Maxim Bouvier approached his daughter with open arms.

Maxim enveloped Michonne in a bear hug, bent his six foot two frame down to kiss his daughter's right cheek and then her left, "Ma chère fille, tu es magnifique," he remarked in impeccable French complimenting his daughter's appearance. His warm brown eyes were moist from tears of joy. His smile radiant from the pleasure of holding his little girl once more.

"Merci," Michonne added, kissing her father's cheek. "Vous avez l'air détendu, papa," she replied acknowledging her father's relaxed appearance.

"C'est facile quand tes jours sont vides," Maxim commented on a very relaxed schedule unlike what he's accustomed to.

Je suis désolé que vous ayez dû gâcher votre voyage," Michonne added pologizing for the inconvienence to her parents.

"Non, ma belle, nous ne sommes qu'un appel quand vous avez besoin de nous." Maxim replied, reassuring his daughter that she's not at all an inconvenience to them. "Juste pour que tu saches, ta mère a insisté pour qu'on rentre à la maison," Maxim added in a loud whisper, essentially throwing his wife under the bus despite the fact he jumped at her suggestion to cut their trip short because he only went on the trips to please her. Maxim firmly ascribed to the mantra of happy wife… happy life.

Michonne chuckled.

"Dad!" Simone admonished her husband with a cocked brow and the wagging of her index finger.

Guilty as charged, Maxim raised both hands in mock surrender. His actions elicited irrepressible chuckles which relieved some of the tension building in the room. It was also clear from his actions just who was the boss of the family.

Michonne chuckled at her parents' antics which caused some levity in the already charged space. Maxim released his daughter and Michonne was suddenly scooped up into the waiting arms of her mother.

Simone hugged Michonne for a few minutes then pulled away slightly. At that moment, Rick saw his girlfriend and an older version of herself with a very short salt and pepper afro. But for the colour of their hair and individual styles, the petite women could easily pass as twins.

"Let me take a good look at you—" Simone beamed, observing every detail about her daughter through a mother's lens. She tilted Michonne's head up with the aid of her middle and indexed fingers then turned it side to side. She spun Michonne around as though assessing her wardrobe because she sensed there was something different about Michonne. She noted her daughter was thinner. She had shadows under her eyes due to a lack of sleep, and her top was snugger than normal because her breasts were more prominent. In fact, Michonne looked exactly like she did when she carried her. She wondered whether her daughter was even aware of it. Marcus had not mentioned a child. The selfish bastard probably hadn't a clue and chocked it all up to the ongoing investigation, but she was almost certain a bomb was about to be dropped, if not today, certainly very soon and for that, Simone was pleased she decided to curtail their vacation. If her assessment was correct, they would have no choice but to return stateside much sooner than initially planned.

Simone clicked her tongue and added, "You're too thin, darling. You need to eat more and rest—yes, you need lots and lots of rest."

Michonne chuckled because her mother's cure for everything was food. "It's good to see you too, mom," she added hugging her mother and kissing her cheek.

"And you too, dear."

Simone then turned from her daughter to Rick as though seeing him for the first time. She gave him an I know what you two have been up to smirk.

Rick remained uncertain as to what Mrs. Bouvier's reaction meant, but moved forward and offered his hand to the Bouviers'. "Mr.— Mrs. Bouvier, good to see you both again," he added, respectively as they awkwardly shook hands.

"Richard," they replied in unison.

The four remained standing for a while because there was insufficient room at the small table to accommodate them.

"How long have you been in town, Richard?" Simone Bouvier asked and looked at him coyly.

Michonne now stood two bodies away from Rick.

Rick chose not to react to the Bouvier's mind games because he knew something they didn't. He was no longer the sixteen-year-old boy who was chased off the front porch because a simple goodnight kiss got out of control; whether they liked it or not, the Grimes and the Bouviers families were now linked for life, there was no escaping it so he remained calm.

But before Rick could answer, Michonne spoke up.

"Mom. Dad. Morgan. Marcus. It's great to see that everyone's present and accounted for. That is, of course, unless the priest was summoned as well?" Michonne directed the stinging barb at Marcus.

Marcus stepped from around the table and shouted, "Michonne, would you stop behaving like the spoiled princess you are, you caused this, not me." Marcus then allowed his right hand to gently trace the outline of the brace on his face for full effect.

Michonne ignored his theatrics."By this, "I'm presuming you are referring to you ruining my parents' vacation." Michonne snapped. Her frustration appeared more evident due to a lack of sleep while her snappiness could be attributed to her growing hunger.

Rick wary of Marcus' behaviour quickly crossed the room and positioned himself in front of Michonne with his hand behind him slightly touching her to keep her at a safe distance. Once comfortable in his new position, he pleaded, "Michonne, just say the word and I'll take you home. You don't need this stress."

"HOME!" Marcus yelled incredulously, "what the hell are you still doing here?" he asked. "You do remember that she's still my wife, right?" Marcus added asserting his position as a reminder to Rick.

Rick ignored Marcus' tirade but stood ready should the man be foolish enough to advance towards Michonne.

Michonne's annoyance with Marcus, however, peaked. She stepped sideways from her shield inhaled deeply and exhaled. "What more do you want from me, Marcus?" she asked, clearly frustrated. "I was honest with you, while it may be more than you bargained for, it is what it is. I can't undo what has been done."

The caustic atmosphere in the room ramped up going from zero to one hundred and twenty within seconds.

The bystanders, Simone and Maxim read the room for what it was; their daughter was now caught between two alphas. Unlike Simone, however, Maxim only picked up on his son-in-law's child-like behaviour, which caused him to shake his head.

Simone fell out of line and followed her daughter, "Darling, don't let him upset you," Simone implored, rubbing her hand on Michonne's shoulder in an attempt to soothe her. "It does no good at this point, what's done is done."

Morgan who knew things were only about to get messier, stood up and stepped away from the table, excused himself and prepared to leave to allow the family the privacy they deserved.

"Simone, Maxim, why don't we get together this weekend?"

"Certainly, Morgan, dear," Simone replied, and with that, Morgan left Michonne's office.

Just then a buzzing sound could be heard. Marcus retrieved his phone from his pocket and replied to a text.

Rick hand reached for Michonne and gently caressed the small of her back.

His actions caused Marcus to frown.

"Have you no respect?" Marcus yelled, shocked that his in-laws' presence was of no deterrence to his adversary.

Maxim Bouvier's keen sense of observation witnessed the interaction between the cocky young Grimes and his daughter but remained silent, not wanting to ignite an already combustible situation. Without a doubt, there was infidelity involved. It was a given fact when his daughter walked into the room wit the blue-eyed devil. A fact compounded with the evidence of the absence of his daughter's wedding band, something he noticed much later. That said, however, Maxim squared the information away for a private discussion with the young man.

Simone, on the other hand, felt like a voyeur having witnessed the tender exchange between her daughter and the blue-eyed devil. Her husband Maxim raised a crooked brow which signalled he knew, but she knew he only saw the obvious.

Marcus cleared his throat.

Rick stared sternly at him as a cautionary measure, which caused Marcus to unconsciously trace the brace on the bridge of his nose.

"Tout va bien, ma chérie?" Maxim asked his wife clueless as to her earlier reaction.

Simone shook her head, "Yes, dear. Everything's just fine." She then turned to Michonne and asked, "Emme, est-ce que ça va?"

"Yes, mother. I'm fine."

Rick, who knew the family longer, knew Simone was in the loop. This was how mother and daughter communicated to the exclusion of others when in a group. But Marcus and Maxim were still slow on the uptake.

"Now, if you don't mind, I'm done airing my dirty laundry at work," Michonne added and stormed out of her office.

**...**

Forty minutes later, the party of five arrived at the penthouse.

Simone led her daughter away for a private mother and daughter moment while Marcus took full advantage of the chance to capitalize on some alone time with his father-in-law on the terrace.

Rick who knew Michonne had not eaten and the effect it could have on her condition walked directly to the kitchen and began foraging to prepare something for her to eat when suddenly, he detected another's presence and turned much to his surprise to see he had a helper and it was none other than Simone Bouvier.

"It's been a hell of a day, and it's only getting started, so we might as well make brunch," she added as an ice breaker.

"Is Michonne okay?" he inquired concerned that the drama was already too much as it were.

"She's tired and hungry. At the moment she's resting. Why don't you make her a smoothie to sustain her until we can get her some proper food."

"Sure thing." He answered and set about his task.

**...**

The group took their place around the natural edge oak table with Michonne seated between her father and Rick.

Simone blessed the table, but as she was about to take her first bite of food, the phone rang. Michonne excused herself and took the call.

"Yes?"

"Mrs. Madison, it's Dwight at the front desk, we have Mr. Marquand and company requesting permission to come up."

"Send them on up. Thanks, Dwight."

"Who is it, dear?" Simone asked as Michonne walked towards the elevator to greet their guests.

"It's Aaron and Paul."

'"Oh shit. Michonne, I'm sorry, I forgot to mention Aaron called earlier." Rick apologized and checked his phone to see several texts and missed calls. "Correction, and several times since."

Simone got up from the table to collect additional plates and flatware for their extra guests.

**...**

Minutes later when the elevator opened, much to Michonne's surprise along with Aaron and Paul, Jessie stepped into the suite.

Paul stepped off the elevator and hugged a shocked Michonne.

"Smells good, it seems like we arrived just in time," he added.

A petty Aaron hugged his twin and added, "We found her in the lobby and realized we were all coming to the same place. Seems like the old man may have a skeleton in his closet after all. This should be really interesting."

Jessie's eyes wandered about the open room then to the terrace and back at Michonne. She didn't know what to say. She was expecting Mr. Madison, not his extremely pissed off wife.

Michonne took in the woman's appearance. Jessie wore a blue fitted dress, which accentuated her growing bump. She knew it was all for show but it bothered her nonetheless. She believed Rick, but, at the same time, until there was proof positive he didn't father another child, the woman standing before her could possibly be carrying his child too. Just the thought of it left a bitter taste in her mouth. And it shocked her at how territorial she suddenly felt towards Rick. They were essentially together now, so there was no reason for her to be jealous, but yet she was. The other woman was standing in her home hundreds of miles from where she belonged. Instantly, she hated Marcus for having tainted the day even more. It seemed with each passing hour Michonne found another con for the mental list she kept which made her decision that much easier.

"Darling, your food is getting cold," Simone called after Michonne who failed to return.

"I'm coming, mom. What are you doing here, Jessie?" Michonne asked.

"Your husband invited me to Alexandria. It seems we have mutual interests." Jessie gave Michonne a confident smile. "Is Mr. Madison in?"

"For your sake, I trust you have accommodations because you sure as hell are not staying here."

Michonne pointed Jessie to the washroom further down the hall. "Second door on the left, you can wash up in there."

Jessie left her overnight bag in a corner near the entryway and followed Michonne inside.

Michonne turned on her heels and walked back towards the kitchen, "We'll need another place setting because it seems Marcus invited a guest to join us.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Thanks to all of you wonderful reviewers, I truly appreciate you taking the time to leave me your thoughts. I enjoy reading them as much as you look forward to an update.

**tiswhatitis174**, Thank you for your kind words.

**Viva1215,** Regarding Marcus, you have no idea.

**Flacagonzales**, Only God knows. Lol

**Ariesdiva**, **Ringer1010**, **thatdamnpebbles**, **LovemesumRick**, **jerkchickenz**, **Richonnelove1**, **minton131**, **dillie60**, Lol.

**Firefly-class**, The plot thickens.

**Sugaree**, When I first read your review, I was like, what's she talking about? Then I realized the typo actually worked, so I left it as is. You're most welcome.

**courtgirl26**, You're so on point.

**Lovelyshmi**, **Enjoi88**, **MJRL**, **gg**, **deeu13**, **Sandra Okoro**, **Bwy5**, **Guest**, Thank you.

**Ariel**, **wuilliannys223**, Thank you for speaking up; remember the fandom is a two-way street where reviews = updates/new stories.

**Cleo Griffith**, Poor delusional Marcus. Thanks, Cleo.

**Richonne4Life**, Lol. Thank you. The parental units know their daughters Kryptonite.

**Atm0000**, **ShunnieIsFine**, Preach!

**AmayaNicole**, Here's your wish.

**Maxine5411**, Welcome aboard and thank you for the instructions for future trolls.

**mar02**, Exactly. Thank you.

**In order to bring stories to the Richonne fandom, we writers also need your written support, so please don't forget to leave a review in the box below. Much appreciated thanks. #KeepRichonneAlive**


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